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Int J Sports Med 2004; 25(1): 6-13
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-45225
Physiology & Biochemistry
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Evidence of Exercise-Induced O2 Arterial Desaturation in Non-Elite Sportsmen and Sportswomen Following High-Intensity Interval-Training

P.  Mucci1 , N.  Blondel1, 2 , C.  Fabre2 , C.  Nourry1 , S.  Berthoin2
  • 1Laboratoire d’Analyse Multidisciplinaire des Pratiques Sportives, UFR STAPS de Liévin - Université d’Artois, Lievin, France
  • 2Laboratoire d’Etudes de la Motricité Humaine, Faculté des Sciences du Sport et de l’Education Physique - Université de Lille II, Lille, France
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Publication History

Accepted after revision: March 28, 2003

Publication Date:
29 January 2004 (online)

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the development of exercise-induced hypoxemia (EIH defined as an exercise decrease > 4 % in oxygen arterial saturation, i. e. SaO2 measured with a portable pulse oximeter) in twelve sportsmen and ten sportswomen (18.5 ± 0.5 years) who were non-elite and not initially engaged in endurance sport or training. They followed a high-intensity interval-training program to improve V·O2max for eight weeks. The training running speeds were set at ∼140 % V·O2max running speed up to 100 % 20-m maximal running speed. Pre- and post-training pulmonary gas exchanges and SaO2 were measured during an incremental running field-test. After the training period, men and women increased their V·O2max (p < 0.001) by 10.0 % and 7.8 %, respectively. Nine subjects (seven men and two women) developed EIH. This phenomenon appeared even in sportsmen with low V·O2max from 45 ml × min-1 × kg-1 and seemed to be associated with inadequate hyperventilation induced by training: because only this hypoxemic group showed 1) a decrease in maximal ventilatory equivalent in O2 (V·E/V·O2, p < 0.01) although maximal ventilation increased (p < 0.01) with training, i. e. in EIH-subjects the ventilatory response increased less than the metabolic demand after the training program; 2) a significant relationship between SaO2 at maximal workload and the matched V·E/V·O2 (p < 0.05, r = 0.67) which strengthened a relative hypoventilation implication in EIH. In conclusion, in this field investigation the significant decrease in the minimum SaO2 inducing the development of EIH after high-intensity interval-training indicates that changes in training conditions could be accompanied in ∼40 % non-endurance sportive subjects by alterations in the degree of arterial oxyhemoglobin desaturation developing during exercise.

Key words

Healthy men and women - arterial desaturation - field measurements - young recreational athletes

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P. Mucci

UFR-STAPS de Liévin · Laboratoire d’Analyse Multidisciplinaire des Pratiques Sportives

Chemin du Marquage · 62800 Liévin · France ·

Phone: +(33) 321 458 515

Fax: +(33) 321 458 501

Email: pmucci@wanadoo.fr