Effects of repeated-sprint training in hypoxia induced by voluntary hypoventilation on performance during ice hockey off-season

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effects of an off-season period of repeated-sprint training in hypoxia induced by voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume (RSH-VHL) on off-ice repeated-sprint ability (RSA) in ice hockey players. Thirty-five high-level youth ice hockey players completed 10 sessions of running repeated sprints over a 5-week period, either with RSH-VHL (n = 16) or with unrestricted breathing (RSN, n = 19). Before (Pre) and after (Post) the training period, subjects performed two 40-m single sprints (to obtain the reference velocity (V_ref)) followed by a running RSA test (12 × 40 m all-out sprints with departure every 30 s). From Pre to Post, there was no change in V_ref or in the maximal velocity reached in the RSA test in both groups. In RSH-VHL, the mean velocity of the RSA test was higher (88.9 ± 5.4 vs. 92.9 ± 3.2% of V_ref; p < 0.01) and the percentage decrement score lower (11.1 ± 5.2 vs. 7.1 ± 3.3; p < 0.01) at Post than at Pre whereas no significant change occurred in the RSN group (89.6 ± 3.3 vs. 91.3 ± 1.9% of V_ref, p = 0.11; 10.4 ± 3.2 vs. 8.7 ± 2.3%; p = 0.13). In conclusion, five weeks of off-ice RSH-VHL intervention led to a significant 4% improvement in off-ice RSA performance. Based on previous findings showing larger effects after shorter intervention time, the dose-response dependent effect of this innovative approach remains to be investigated.