Acute physiological and perceptual responses to Brazilian jiu-jitsu sparring: the role of maximal oxygen uptake. (4th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Øvretveit, Karsten
• Is Part Of: International journal of performance analysis in sport. Volume 18:Number 3(2018)
• Page Start: 481
• Page End: 494
• Publication Date: 2018-05-04
• Subjects: Martial arts -- grappling -- combat sports -- lactate -- heart rate -- RPE; Sports sciences -- Periodicals; Sports -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; 796.015
• DOI: 10.1080/24748668.2018.1493634
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2474-8668

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Sparring is a training form in combat sports designed to simulate fighting. This study sought to assess physiological and perceptual responses to Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) sparring and their relationship with maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max ). Twelve male BJJ athletes (age: 30.6 ± 2.7 (SD) years; height: 182.5 ± 5.9 cm; body mass ( m b ): 81.2 ± 6.7 kg; body fat: 9.9 ± 3.2%) with 4.6 ± 2.2 years of BJJ experience and a training volume of 10.3 ± 4.4 h· week −1 participated in the study. Following a V̇O2max measurement, heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration ([La‾] b ), and rating of perceived exertion were obtained during sparring in a regular training session. Each participant sparred five consecutive 6-min rounds separated by 90-s breaks. Mean sparring HR was 164 ± 9 beats· min −1, equivalent to 85% ± 4% of the maximal HR (HRmax ). The sparring was perceived as "hard". Mass-independent V̇O2max correlated negatively with HR, relative HR (%HRmax ), and [La‾] b (p <0.05). The inverse relationship between V̇O2max and physiological markers of exertion suggest that V̇O2max affects exercise tolerance in BJJ and could also point to a limited efficacy of sparring for developing aerobic endurance due to insufficient exercise intensity in trained athletes.