Effects of Repeated Sprint Training in Hypoxia on Physical Performance Among Athletes : A Systematic Review

Abstract

Repeated sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) represents an innovative method in the process of development and improvement of physical performance among athletes. However, there is less scientific data on this topic. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of RSH method on motor abilities and performance among athletes, obtain new information, and expand the already known conclusions. The data search was performed of 4 electronic databases for the years 2000-2021 May as follows: Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and ResearchGate. This search with English language restriction was made by using the following terms, individually/combination: "repeated sprint ability", "hypoxia", "effects", "physical performance", "VO2max" 844 studies were indentified, and 14 studies were selected (11 male studies, 1 female study, 2 both sexes). Results of this systematic review, a total sample size of 347 athletes (40 females and 307 males, aged 15.3 ± 0.5 - 35 ± 7 years), showed that RSH was an effective training method in improving all monitored variables (i.e. RSAmax, VO2max). However, it should be noted that major improvements were observed mainly in repeated sprint ability (RSA) tests, and less in aerobic tests (i.e. Wingate and Yo-Yo). In conclusion, based on current scientific studies, RSH is more effective method to improve the physical performance among athletes compared to repeated sprint training in normoxia (RSN). This study suggested that the RSH has a positive effect on the monitored variables in physical performance tests especially related to RSA.