GENDER EFFECT ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF TIME LIMIT AT 100-PERCENT VO2MAXWITH OTHER BIOENERGETIC CHARACTERISTICS

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of gender on th e possible contribution of t(lim) at v(a max) (minimal speed that elic ts VO2 max) in performance speeds. The male and female elite middle-di stance runners had similar performance (IAAF scores). Fourteen female and fifteen male (25.2 +/- 3.6 and 25.1 +/- 4.2 yr old; VO2max = 63.2 +/- 4.2 and 77.7 +/- 6.4 ml . kg(-1). min(-1); v(a max) = 17.3 +/- 0.7 and 20.8 +/- 1.1 km . h(-1), respectively) performed three exercise t ests on a treadmill (3 degrees slope) within a 2-wk period: an increme ntal test to determine VO2max, v(a max) and the velocity at the onset of blood lactate accumulation (vOBLA); an exhaustive constant velocity test to determine t(lim) at v(a max); and an exhaustive constant velo city test at 110% v(a max) to determine the accumulated oxygen deficit (AOD). There were no effects of gender, i.e., no significant differen ces were observed between female and male for t(lim) at v(a max) (421 +/- 129 vs 367 +/- 118 s respectively; P = 0.24), vOBLA as %v(a max) ( 88.4 +/- 2.7 vs 90.4 3% of v(a max); P = 0.07), AOD (40.1 +/- 14.9 vs 48.9 +/- 21.3 ml . O-2 . k(-1): P = 0.22), running economy at the same absolute speed, i.e., 14 km . h(-1) (53.4 +/- 2.6 vs 52.7 +/- 4.1 ml . O-2 . min(-1). kg(-1); P = 0.64) or for gross oxygen cost of running (CR) at the same relative velocity (75% v(a max)) (0.214 +/- 0.001 vs 0.214 +/- 0.002 ml . O-2 . kg(-1). m(-1); P = 0.94). However, an effe ct of gender was found on the relationship between the bioenergetic pa rameters and performance. For male, v1500 was predicted by v(a max), v OBLA, t(lim) at 110% of v(a max), and CR (R(2) = 0.96) For female, no bioenergetic parameters were strongly correlated with v1500 m. The inv erse relationship found between v(a max) and t(lim) at v(a max) in pre vious literature was confirmed by the 29 runners in this study and for the subset of male only.