Sprint performance is important ecologically and physiologically, and it can influence fitness by determining outcomes of predator–prey relationships, for example, and it can confer substantial human health benefits. In this article we test whether zebrafish (Danio rerio) are a suitable model to test hypotheses about the effects and consequences of sprint exercise training, and the physiological underpinnings of sprint performance. We show that stage 3 c-starts that capture the initial escape response of fish lasting <1 s were repeatable within individuals. In addition, somewhat longer constant acceleration protocols lasting 10 s (U10s) or 30 s (U30s) were highly repeatable within individuals over 3, 6, and 23 days. C-starts within individuals were not correlated with either U10s or U30s, indicating that these measures reflect different physiological aspects of sprinting. Stage 3 c-starts and U10s responded positively to sprint exercise training. Our exercise training protocol (5 × 10 s sprints with 5-min rest periods on 4 days per week for 3 weeks) was based on the human sporting literature, and together, our results indicate that zebrafish are a good model to assess the physiological and behavioral consequences of sprint exercise training.
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