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Cited by 916Sports Performance and TrainingCardiovascular and exercise physiologyExercise and Physiological Responses

Repeated-Sprint Ability – Part I: Factors Contributing to Fatigue

Girard, Olivier, Mendez-Villanueva, Alberto, Bishop, David·2011·Sports Medicine
DOI 10.2165/11590550-000000000-00000
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Abstract

Short-duration sprints (<10 seconds), interspersed with brief recoveries (<60 seconds), are common during most team and racket sports. Therefore, the ability to recover and to reproduce performance in subsequent sprints is probably an important fitness requirement of athletes engaged in these disciplines, and has been termed repeated-sprint ability (RSA). This review (Part I) examines how fatigue manifests during repeated-sprint exercise (RSE), and discusses the potential underpinning muscular and neural mechanisms. A subsequent companion review to this article will explain a better understanding of the training interventions that could eventually improve RSA. Using laboratory and field-based protocols, performance analyses have consistently shown that fatigue during RSE typically manifests as a decline in maximal/mean sprint speed (i.e. running) or a decrease in peak power or total work (i.e. cycling) over sprint repetitions. A consistent result among these studies is that performance decrements (i.e. fatigue) during successive bouts are inversely correlated to initial sprint performance. To date, there is no doubt that the details of the task (e.g. changes in the nature of the work/recovery bouts) alter the time course/magnitude of fatigue development during RSE (i.e. task dependency) and potentially the contribution of the underlying mechanisms. At the muscle level, limitations in energy supply, which include energy available from phosphocreatine hydrolysis, anaerobic glycolysis and oxidative metabolism, and the intramuscular accumulation of metabolic by-products, such as hydrogen ions, emerge as key factors responsible for fatigue. Although not as extensively studied, the use of surface electromyography techniques has revealed that failure to fully activate the contracting musculature and/or changes in inter-muscle recruitment strategies (i.e. neural factors) are also associated with fatigue outcomes. Pending confirmatory research, other factors such as stiffness regulation, hypoglycaemia, muscle damage and hostile environments (e.g. heat, hypoxia) are also likely to compromise fatigue resistance during repeated-sprint protocols.

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Crossref · 10.2165/11590550-000000000-00000

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241 of 241 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA) is a key fitness component for success in team sports and is characterized by short, maximal-intensity sprints followed by brief recovery periods.

    “Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA) is a key fitness component for success in team sports and is characterized by short, maximal-intensity sprints followed by brief recovery periods1–3.”

    From Evaluating bioenergetic pathway contributions from single to multiple sprints (2024) · cites this paper as [1]

  • In 10 × 6-second maximal cycling efforts, anaerobic glycolysis was responsible for about 40% of the ATP during the first sprint, but this contribution dropped below 10% by the final sprint.

    “In studies involving 10 × 6-second maximal cycling efforts, anaerobic glycolysis was responsible for about 40% of the ATP during the first sprint, but this contribution dropped below 10% by the final sprint1.”

    From Evaluating bioenergetic pathway contributions from single to multiple sprints (2024) · cites this paper as [1]

  • Glycolytic contributions have been shown to drop sharply during repeated sprints, decreasing from approximately 40% in the first sprint to as little as 9% in the final sprint of a 10 × 6-second protocol with 30-second rest intervals.

    “For instance, glycolytic contributions have been shown to drop sharply during repeated sprints, decreasing from approximately 40% in the first sprint to as little as 9% in the final sprint of a 10 × 6-second protocol with 30-second rest intervals1.”

    From Evaluating bioenergetic pathway contributions from single to multiple sprints (2024) · cites this paper as [1]

  • RSA-based exercises are highly efficient for many sports, as they engage all three energy pathways even in low-volume training sessions.

    “More recent findings suggest that RSA-based exercises are highly efficient for many sports, as they engage all three energy pathways even in low-volume training sessions1,3,11,16.”

    From Evaluating bioenergetic pathway contributions from single to multiple sprints (2024) · cites this paper as [1]

  • Early anaerobic glycolytic activity contributed to a smaller performance drop compared to later sprints.

    “As predicted1, this early anaerobic glycolytic activity contributed to a smaller performance drop compared to later sprints, where the glycolytic contribution fell to 11.3 kJ (12.3%), and the performance decrement increased to 4.7% during sprints 6–10.”

    From Evaluating bioenergetic pathway contributions from single to multiple sprints (2024) · cites this paper as [1]

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Authors
Girard, O., Mendez-Villanueva, A., & Bishop, D.
Affiliations
  • Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital (QA)
  • Victoria University (AU)
Corresponding author
Girard, Olivier
ORCID
Venue
Sports Medicine
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2011-08
Volume
41
Issue
8
Pages
673-694
ISSN
0112-1642 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2165/11590550-000000000-00000
OpenAlex
W1540553209
Cited by
916
References
241
Citations by year
2026: 89 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 74 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 72 · 2020: 88 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 71 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 54 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 27
FWCI
6.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Murdoch University Research Portal (submittedVersion)
  • Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion)
  • UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
Keywords
repeated sprint ability, repeated sprint exercise, fatigue, sprint speed, peak power, phosphocreatine, anaerobic glycolysis, oxidative metabolism, hydrogen ions, muscle activation, task dependencies, recovery, muscle damage, hypoglycemia
MeSH terms
Energy Metabolism, Female, Glycolysis, Humans, Male, Phosphocreatine, Running, Racquet Sports, Muscle, Skeletal, Muscle Fatigue, Athletic Performance, Athletes

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