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Anaerobic Speed/Power Reserve and Sport Performance: Scientific Basis, Current Applications and Future Directions

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Abstract

Many individual and team sport events require extended periods of exercise above the speed or power associated with maximal oxygen uptake (i.e., maximal aerobic speed/power, MAS/MAP). In the absence of valid and reliable measures of anaerobic metabolism, the anaerobic speed/power reserve (ASR/APR) concept, defined as the difference between an athlete’s MAS/MAP and their maximal sprinting speed (MSS)/peak power (MPP), advances our understanding of athlete tolerance to high speed/power efforts in this range. When exercising at speeds above MAS/MAP, what likely matters most, irrespective of athlete profile or locomotor mode, is the proportion of the ASR/APR used, rather than the more commonly used reference to percent MAS/MAP. The locomotor construct of ASR/APR offers numerous underexplored opportunities. In particular, how differences in underlying athlete profiles (e.g., fiber typology) impact the training response for different ‘speed’, ‘endurance’ or ‘hybrid’ profiles is now emerging. Such an individualized approach to athlete training may be necessary to avoid ‘maladaptive’ or ‘non-responses’. As a starting point for coaches and practitioners, we recommend upfront locomotor profiling to guide training content at both the macro (understanding athlete profile variability and training model selection, e.g., annual periodization) and micro levels (weekly daily planning of individual workouts, e.g., short vs long intervals vs repeated sprint training and recovery time between workouts). More specifically, we argue that high-intensity interval training formats should be tailored to the locomotor profile accordingly. New focus and appreciation for the ASR/APR is required to individualize training appropriately so as to maximize athlete preparation for elite competition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Gareth N. Sandford

  2. Canadian Sport Institute-Pacific, 4371 Interurban Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2C5, Canada

    Gareth N. Sandford

  3. Athletics Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Gareth N. Sandford

  4. Sports Performance Research Institute NZ, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Paul B. Laursen

  5. HIIT Science, Revelstoke, BC, Canada

    Paul B. Laursen & Martin Buchheit

  6. Research Department, Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA 7370), French Institute of Sport (INSEP), Paris, France

    Martin Buchheit

  7. Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Martin Buchheit

  8. Kitman Labs, Performance Research Intelligence Initiative, Dublin, Ireland

    Martin Buchheit

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Correspondence to Gareth N. Sandford.

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Author contributions

GNS conceived the idea for the article, wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all versions after. MB and PL contributed substantially to the content, conceptual direction and editing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article.

Conflicts of interest

Paul Laursen and Martin Buchheit are co-owners of HIIT Science Inc., an online educational platform that teaches the science and application of high-intensity interval training. Gareth Sandford has no conflict of interest relevant to the content of this article.

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Sandford, G.N., Laursen, P.B. & Buchheit, M. Anaerobic Speed/Power Reserve and Sport Performance: Scientific Basis, Current Applications and Future Directions. Sports Med 51, 2017–2028 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01523-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01523-9

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