Method-Induced Differences of Energy Contributions in Women's Kayaking

Abstract

Context: Different relative aerobic energy contribution (W_AER%) has been reported for the 2 women's Olympic kayaking disciplines (ie, 200 and 500 m).

Purpose: To investigate whether the adopted method of energy calculation influences the value of W_AER% during kayaking time trials.

Methods: Eleven adolescent female kayakers (age 14 ± 1 y, height 172 ± 4 cm, body mass 65.4 ± 4.2 kg, VO₂peak 42.6 ± 4.9 mL·min^-1·kg^-1, training experience 1.5 ± 0.3 y) volunteered to participate in 1 incremental exercise test and 2 time trials (40 and 120 s) on the kayak ergometer. A portable spirometric system was used to measure gas metabolism. Capillary blood was taken from the ear lobe during and after the tests and analyzed for lactate afterward. The method of modified maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (m-MAOD) and the method based on the fast component of oxygen-uptake off-kinetics (PCr-La-O₂) were used to calculate the energy contributions.

Results: The anaerobic energy portions from m-MAOD were lower than those from PCr-La-O₂ in the 40-s (41.9 ± 8.8 vs 52.8 ± 4.0 kJ, P > .05) and 120-s (64.1 ± 27.9 vs 68.2 ± 10.0 kJ, P > .05) time trials, which induced differences of W_AER% between m-MAOD and PCr-La-O₂ (36.0% vs 30.0% in 40 s, P > .05; 60.9% vs 57.5% in 120 s, P > .05).

Conclusions: The reported different W_AER% in women's Olympic kayaking could be partly attributed to the adopted method of energy calculation (ie, m-MAOD vs PCr-La-O₂). A fixed method of energy calculation is recommended during the longitudinal assessment on the relative energy contribution in women's Olympic kayaking.

Keywords: fast component; modified maximal accumulated oxygen deficit; overestimate; time trial.