TY - JOUR

T1 - Muscle metabolism and fatigue during simulated ice hockey match-play in elite players

AU - Vigh-Larsen, Jeppe F

AU - Ermidis, Georgios

AU - Rago, Vincenzo

AU - Randers, Morten B

AU - Fransson, Dan

AU - Nielsen, Jakob L

AU - Gliemann, Lasse

AU - Piil, Jacob Feder

AU - Morris, Nathan Bradley

AU - De Paoli, Frank V

AU - Overgaard, Kristian

AU - Andersen, Thomas B

AU - Nybo, Lars

AU - Krustrup, Peter

AU - Mohr, Magni

N1 - CURIS 2020 NEXS 299

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Purpose: The present study investigated muscle metabolism and fatigue during simulated elite male ice hockey match-play.Methods: Thirty U20 male national team players completed an experimental game comprising three periods of 8x1-min shifts separated by 2-min recovery intervals. Two vastus lateralis biopsies were obtained either during the game (n = 7) or pre- and post-game (n = 6). Venous blood samples were drawn pre-game and at the end of the first and last period (n = 14). Activity pattern and physiological responses were continuously monitored using local positioning system and heart rate recordings. Further, repeated-sprint ability was tested pre-game and after each period.Results: Total distance covered was 5980±199 m with almost half the distance covered at high skating speeds (>17 km·h-1). Average and peak on-ice heart rate was 84±2 and 97±2% of maximum heart rate, respectively. Muscle lactate increased (P≤0.05) more than 5- and 3-fold, while muscle pH decreased (P≤0.05) from 7.31±0.04 pre-game to 6.99±0.07 and 7.13±0.11 during the first and last period, respectively. Muscle glycogen decreased by 53% post-game (P≤0.05) with ~65% of fast- and slow-twitch fibers depleted of glycogen. Blood lactate increased 6-fold (P≤0.05), while plasma free fatty acid levels increased 1.5- and 3-fold (P≤0.05) after the first and last period. Repeated-sprint ability was impaired (~3%; P≤0.05) post-game concomitant with a ~10% decrease in the number of accelerations and decelerations during the second and last period (P≤0.05).Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that a simulated ice hockey match-play scenario encompasses a high on-ice heart rate response and glycolytic loading resulting in a marked degradation of muscle glycogen, particularly in specific sub-groups of fibers. This may be of importance both for fatigue in the final stages of a game and for subsequent recovery.

AB - Purpose: The present study investigated muscle metabolism and fatigue during simulated elite male ice hockey match-play.Methods: Thirty U20 male national team players completed an experimental game comprising three periods of 8x1-min shifts separated by 2-min recovery intervals. Two vastus lateralis biopsies were obtained either during the game (n = 7) or pre- and post-game (n = 6). Venous blood samples were drawn pre-game and at the end of the first and last period (n = 14). Activity pattern and physiological responses were continuously monitored using local positioning system and heart rate recordings. Further, repeated-sprint ability was tested pre-game and after each period.Results: Total distance covered was 5980±199 m with almost half the distance covered at high skating speeds (>17 km·h-1). Average and peak on-ice heart rate was 84±2 and 97±2% of maximum heart rate, respectively. Muscle lactate increased (P≤0.05) more than 5- and 3-fold, while muscle pH decreased (P≤0.05) from 7.31±0.04 pre-game to 6.99±0.07 and 7.13±0.11 during the first and last period, respectively. Muscle glycogen decreased by 53% post-game (P≤0.05) with ~65% of fast- and slow-twitch fibers depleted of glycogen. Blood lactate increased 6-fold (P≤0.05), while plasma free fatty acid levels increased 1.5- and 3-fold (P≤0.05) after the first and last period. Repeated-sprint ability was impaired (~3%; P≤0.05) post-game concomitant with a ~10% decrease in the number of accelerations and decelerations during the second and last period (P≤0.05).Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that a simulated ice hockey match-play scenario encompasses a high on-ice heart rate response and glycolytic loading resulting in a marked degradation of muscle glycogen, particularly in specific sub-groups of fibers. This may be of importance both for fatigue in the final stages of a game and for subsequent recovery.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Glycogen

KW - Performance

KW - High-intensity

KW - Intermittent exercise

KW - Team sport

KW - Fiber-type

U2 - 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002370

DO - 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002370

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32496739

VL - 52

SP - 2162

EP - 2171

JO - Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

JF - Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

SN - 0195-9131

IS - 10

ER -