The DOI matches its Crossref record; 241 of the 241 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Repeated-Sprint Ability – Part I: Factors Contributing to Fatigue
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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In the citing paper
“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 the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
In the citing paper
“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]
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0029-x · Cited by 1,490
Repeated-Sprint Ability – Part II: Recommendations for Training
Bishop, D., Girard, O., & Mendez-Villanueva, A. (2011) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.2165/11590560-000000000-00000 · Cited by 621
Self-citationCarbohydrate Nutrition and Team Sport Performance
Williams, C., & Rollo, I. (2015) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0399-3 · Cited by 175
Effects of a Caffeine-Containing Energy Drink on Simulated Soccer Performance
Del Coso, J., Muñoz-Fernández, V. E., Muñoz, G., Fernández-Elías, V. E., Ortega, J. F., Hamouti, N., Barbero, J. C., & Muñoz-Guerra, J. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031380 · Cited by 148
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Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Girard, O., Mendez-Villanueva, A., & Bishop, D.
- Affiliations
- Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital (QA)
- Victoria University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Girard, Olivier
- Venue
- Sports Medicine
- Published
- 2011-08
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 673-694
- ISSN
- 0112-1642 (ISSN-L)
- 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 › Physiology (medical) › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › 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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