Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2025 Aug 1;57(8):1669-1680.
doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003697. Epub 2025 Mar 6.

Changes in V̇O 2max after 6 wk of Intensity Domain-Specific Training: Role of Central and Peripheral Adaptations

Erin Calaine Inglis  1 , Letizia Rasica  1 , Danilo Iannetta  1 , Mary Z Mackie  1 , Felipe Mattioni Maturana  2 , Daniel A Keir  3 , Martin J Macinnis  1 , Juan M Murias
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Changes in V̇O 2max after 6 wk of Intensity Domain-Specific Training: Role of Central and Peripheral Adaptations

Erin Calaine Inglis et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. .

Abstract

Purpose: This study characterized central and peripheral adaptations to domain-specific endurance exercise training.

Methods: Eighty-four young healthy participants were randomly assigned to age- and sex-matched groups of: continuous cycling in the 1) moderate-intensity (MOD), 2) lower heavy-intensity (HVY1), and 3) upper heavy-intensity (HVY2) domain; interval cycling in the 4) severe-intensity domain (i.e., high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and 5) extreme-intensity domain (i.e., sprint-interval training (SIT)); or 6) control (CON). Two 3-wk phases of training (three sessions per week) were performed. All training protocols, except SIT, were work matched.

Results: Maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ), maximal cardiac output (Q˙ max ), derived maximal arterial-venous oxygen difference (a-vO 2diff ), blood volume (BV), plasma volume (PV), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-derived muscle oxidative capacity (τOxCap) were measured and compared at PRE and POST. The largest change in V̇O 2max occurred in HIIT (0.43 ± 0.20 L·min -1 ), which was greater than CON (0.02 ± 0.08 L·min -1 ), MOD (0.11 ± 0.19 L·min -1 ), HVY1 (0.24 ± 0.18 L·min -1 ), and SIT (0.28 ± 0.21 L·min -1 ) ( P < 0.05) but not HVY2 (0.36 ± 0.14 L·min -1 ) ( P > 0.05). Changes in Q˙ max were observed in HVY1 (1.6 ± 0.5 L·min -1 ), HVY2 (3.0 ± 0.6 L·min -1 ), HIIT (2.9 ± 1.2 L·min -1 ), and SIT (1.8 ± 1.4 L·min -1 ) ( P < 0.05) but not in MOD (1.2 ± 0.3 L·min -1 ) and CON (0.1 ± -0.5 L·min -1 ) ( P > 0.05). HVY2 and HIIT produced significant changes in BV (438 ± 101 and 302 ± 38 mL) and PV (198 ± 92 and 158 ± 51 mL), respectively ( P < 0.05), whereas other groups did not.

Conclusions: No significant peripheral adaptations (i.e., τOxCap and a-vO 2diff ) were observed in any group ( P > 0.05). The results indicate that higher training intensities (i.e., HVY2 and HIIT) produce larger changes in V̇O 2max , which is supported predominantly by central adaptations. In addition, results suggest that, despite nonsignificant changes, the contribution of peripheral components to changes in V̇O 2max should not be dismissed.

Keywords: CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE; CYCLING TRAINING; ENDURANCE; MECHANISMS.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Astorino TA, Edmunds RM, Clark A, et al. High-intensity interval training increases cardiac output and VO 2max . Med Sci Sports Exerc . 2017;49(2):265–73.
    1. Daussin FN, Ponsot E, Dufour SP, et al. Improvement of V̇O 2max by cardiac output and oxygen extraction adaptation during intermittent versus continuous endurance training. Eur J Appl Physiol . 2007;101(3):377–83.
    1. Montero D, Cathomen A, Jacobs RA, et al. Haematological rather than skeletal muscle adaptations contribute to the increase in peak oxygen uptake induced by moderate endurance training. J Physiol . 2015;593(20):4677–88.
    1. Murias JM, Kowalchuk JM, Paterson DH. Mechanisms for increases in VO 2max with endurance training in older and young women. Med Sci Sports Exerc . 2010;42(10):1891–8.
    1. Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve V̇O 2max more than moderate training. Med Sci Sports Exerc . 2007;39(4):665–71.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources