The present study sought to investigate if faster upper body oxygen uptake (VO2) and hemoglobin/myoglobin deoxygenation ([HHb]) kinetics during heavy intensity exercise were associated with a greater upper body repeated-sprint ability (RSA) performance in a group of judokas and in a group of individuals of heterogenous fitness level. Eight judokas (JT) and seven untrained healthy participants (UT) completed an incremental step test, two heavy intensity square-wave transitions and an upper body RSA test consisting of four 15 s sprints, with 45 s rest, from which the experimental data were obtained. In the JT group, VO2 kinetics, [HHb] kinetics and the parameters determined in the incremental test were not associated with RSA. However, when the two groups were combined, the amplitude of the primary phase VO2 and [HHb] were positively associated with the accumulated work in the four sprints (ΣWork). Additionally, maximal aerobic power (MAP), peak VO2 and the first ventilatory threshold (VT1) showed a positive correlation with ΣWork and an inverse correlation with the decrease in peak power output (Dec-PPO) between the first and fourth sprints. Faster VO2 and [HHb] kinetics do not seem to be associated with an increased upper body RSA in JT. However, other variables of aerobic fitness seem to be associated with an increased upper body RSA performance in a group of individuals with heterogeneous fitness level.
Keywords: VO2 kinetics; arm crank; judo; muscle oxygenation; near-infrared spectroscopy; repeated sprint ability; upper body.