PURPOSE: This study compares the training characteristics and the physical profiles of top-class male and female Kenyan long-distance runners. METHOD: The subjects were 20 elite Kenyan runners: 13 men (10-km performance time: 10-km performance time of 28 min, 36 s +/- 18 s) and 7 women (32 min, 32 s +/- 65 s). The male runners were separated into high-speed training runners (HST: N = 6) and low-speed training runners (LST: N = 7) depending on whether they train at speeds equal or higher than those associated with the maximal oxygen uptake (vVO2max ). All but one woman were high-speed training runners (female HST: N = 6). Subjects performed an incremental test on a 400-m track to determine VO2max, vVO2max, and the velocity at the lactate threshold (vLT). RESULTS: Within each gender among the HST group, 10-km performance time was inversely correlated with vVO2max (rho = -0.86, P = 0.05, and rho = -0.95, P = 0.03, for men and women, respectively). HST male runners had a higher VO2max, a lower (but not significantly) fraction of vVO2max (FVO2max ) at the lactate threshold, and a higher energy cost of running (ECR). Among men, the weekly training distance at vVO2max explained 59% of the variance of vVO2max, and vVO2max explained 52% of the variance of 10-km performance time. Kenyan women had a high VO2max and FVO2max at vLT that was lower than their male HST counterparts. ECR was not significantly different between genders. CONCLUSION: The velocity at the VO2max is the main factor predicting the variance of the 10-km performance both in men and women, and high-intensity training contributes to this higher VO2max among men.
PURPOSE: This study compares the training characteristics and the physical profiles of top-class male and female Kenyan long-distance runners. METHOD: The subjects were 20 elite Kenyan runners: 13 men (10-km performance time: 10-km performance time of 28 min, 36 s +/- 18 s) and 7 women (32 min, 32 s +/- 65 s). The male runners were separated into high-speed training runners (HST: N = 6) and low-speed training runners (LST: N = 7) depending on whether they train at speeds equal or higher than those associated with the maximal oxygen uptake (vVO2max ). All but one woman were high-speed training runners (female HST: N = 6). Subjects performed an incremental test on a 400-m track to determine VO2max, vVO2max, and the velocity at the lactate threshold (vLT). RESULTS: Within each gender among the HST group, 10-km performance time was inversely correlated with vVO2max (rho = -0.86, P = 0.05, and rho = -0.95, P = 0.03, for men and women, respectively). HST male runners had a higher VO2max, a lower (but not significantly) fraction of vVO2max (FVO2max ) at the lactate threshold, and a higher energy cost of running (ECR). Among men, the weekly training distance at vVO2max explained 59% of the variance of vVO2max, and vVO2max explained 52% of the variance of 10-km performance time. Kenyan women had a high VO2max and FVO2max at vLT that was lower than their male HST counterparts. ECR was not significantly different between genders. CONCLUSION: The velocity at the VO2max is the main factor predicting the variance of the 10-km performance both in men and women, and high-intensity training contributes to this higher VO2max among men.
Authors: Colin N Moran; Robert A Scott; Susan M Adams; Samantha J Warrington; Mark A Jobling; Richard H Wilson; William H Goodwin; Evelina Georgiades; Bezabhe Wolde; Yannis P Pitsiladis Journal: Hum Genet Date: 2004-10-20 Impact factor: 4.132
Authors: Jose A Rodríguez-Marroyo; Jorge López-Satue; Raul Pernía; Belén Carballo; Juan García-López; Carl Foster; José G Villa Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health Date: 2011-06-09 Impact factor: 3.015
Authors: Adriano E Lima-Silva; Romulo C M Bertuzzi; Flavio O Pires; Ronaldo V Barros; João F Gagliardi; John Hammond; Maria A Kiss; David J Bishop Journal: Eur J Appl Physiol Date: 2009-12-11 Impact factor: 3.078