Work

Blood lactate accumulation during maximal cycling sprints and its relationship to sprint performance characteristics

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Purpose Blood lactate accumulation (ΔBLC) during maximal short-term exercise is a crucial indicator of peak glycolytic activation in anaerobic performance assessment. However, the relationship between ΔBLC and sprint performance remains inconsistent, potentially due to variations in testing protocols and the use of absolute rather than relative performance metrics. This study investigated the relationship between ΔBLC and cycling sprint performance, hypothesizing normalization to body weight is essential for accurate metabolic performance evaluation. Methods Twenty-two trained male athletes performed a 10-s maximal isokinetic cycling sprint on an ergometer. Power output and cadence were continuously recorded to calculate peak power (P peak), time to peak power (t Ppeak), mean power (P mean), and power increase during the lactic phase (maxΔP, ΔP). Capillary blood samples were collected pre-exercise and up to 12 min post-exercise to determine pre-exercise (BLCpre) and maximal post-exercise blood lactate concentration (BLCmax). ΔBLC was calculated as BLCmax−BLCpre. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlations and stepwise multiple regression. Results ΔBLC exhibited significant correlations with body-weight-normalized maxΔP (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), P mean (r = 0.70, p < 0.001), and P peak (r = 0.65, p < 0.01). In contrast, no significant correlations were observed with absolute metrics (p > 0.05). Stepwise regression analysis identified adjusted maxΔP and P mean as the strongest predictors of ΔBLC (adjusted R 2 = 0.648, p < 0.001). Conclusion Relative, body-weight-adjusted metrics, particularly maxΔP and P mean, are strongly associated with ΔBLC. The use of these relative metrics may enhance the precision of anaerobic performance assessment, facilitate more effective training monitoring, and improve talent identification processes in sports requiring high-intensity efforts.

Source: European Journal of Applied Physiology

DOI: 10.1007/s00421-025-05755-9

Authors: Ralf Haase, Anna Katharina Dunst, Nico Nitzsche

Institution: Chemnitz University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Sports Performance and Training

Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,890