Effects of Repeated Sprint Training on Isocapnic Buffering Phase in Volleyball Players

Abstract

Introduction: The region between the ventilatory threshold (VT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) is defined as the isocapnic buffering (ICB) phase and represents a phase of compensation for exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. There is sparse literature examining the effects of physical training on ICB phase in athletes. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a repeated sprint training program on the ICB phase of college volleyball players. Methods: Eighteen male volleyball players were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=9) or a control group (n=9) and followed a traditional volleyball training program three times per week for six weeks. The experimental group additionally performed a repeated sprint training protocol immediately before each volleyball training session. Before and after the 6-week training period, all participants performed an incremental treadmill test to determine VT, RCP, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). The ICB phases were calculated as VO2 (ml/kg/min) and sprint speed (km/h). Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements in ICB phase, RCP, VO2max and maximal sprint speed after training (p<0.01). There were no significant changes in VT after training in the experimental group (p>0.05). None of these variables changed significantly in the control group (p>0.05). Conclusions: These findings indicate that repeated sprint training can enhance the ICB phase of volleyball players, which may be attributable to an improvement in buffering capacity leading to a shift in RCP towards higher intensities without any change in VT. The increase in the ICB phase may an important factor in terms of improvement in the high-intensity exercise tolerance of athletes. Level of Evidence II; Therapeutic studies - Investigating the results of treatment.

Correlation of maximal respiratory exchange ratio with anaerobic power and maximal oxygen uptake in anaerobic trained athletes

“…After a period of anaerobic training, the H + release and buffering capacity of the muscles has been shown to be increases [40]. In our previous study, after a 6-week period of anaerobic training, maximal RER values during incremental exercise increased by 5.6 % compared to the pre-training period, which may be due to enhanced buffering capacity [36]. On the other hand, endurance training to improve aerobic capacity increases oxidative enzyme activity while decreasing RER values [41].…”

“…Higher RER values may mean that anaerobic-trained athletes utilized a greater proportion of anaerobic metabolism at higher intensity during exercise than aerobic-trained athletes. Anaerobic training increases intracellular and extracellular buffer capacity [35], which may contribute to a higher increase in RER values [36].…”

The Effect of Sprint Training on Vertical Jump Height of Female Youth Volleyball Players

“…Kaynak et al [18] explored the effect of 20-m repeated sprint training on the aerobic capacity of college volleyball players and found that the addition of repeated sprint training programs was successful in increasing aerobic capacity and anaerobic performance. In addition, Erylmaz et al [19] showed that repeated sprint training can increase the isocapnic buffering phase of volleyball players, indicating that sprint training is very useful in volleyball.…”