Specificity of physiologic adaptations resulting from ice-hockey training.

The specificity of the metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses to varied seasonal training programs and to varied testing modalities and protocols were investigated in two groups of college hockey players. Training consisted of either ice hockey (IH) or a combination of ice hockey and prolonged low-intensity cycling (IH-C). Measurement of training-induced adaptations were determined during maximal and submaximal ice skating, and during maximal and submaximal cycling. Ice hockey training caused no change in VO2max, maximal heart rate (HRmax), and maximal ventilation (VEmax) during maximal ice skating. During submaximal ice skating following IH training, however, reductions (P less than 0.05) in blood lactate (La), VE/VO2, and respiratory exchange ratio (R) were observed. When maximal and submaximal cycling was employed as the test modality, no training-induced alteration was found. The IH-C training program (ice hockey-cycling) resulted in adaptations similar to those observed during submaximal ice skating following the IH training. In addition, a reduction (P less than 0.05) in heart rate was observed during submaximal cycling exercise. From these findings it appeared that the adaptive response to training may be specific to the type of work used in training, the type of ergometry used to evaluate training, and to specific physiological processes. In addition, these results suggested a dissociation between local and central adaptations.