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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1536287
This article is part of the Research Topic Responses and Adaptations to Novel Exercise Modalities View all 7 articles

Effects of 6-week sprint interval training compared to traditional training on the running performance of distance runners: A randomized controlled trail

Provisionally accepted
Kai Jin Kai Jin 1*Mengbiao Cai Mengbiao Cai 2Yongqian Zhang Yongqian Zhang 3*Bin Wu Bin Wu 4*Yi Yang Yi Yang 5*
  • 1 Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
  • 3 Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, China
  • 4 Nanjing City Vocational College, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
  • 5 Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study aimed to compare the effects of sprint interval training versus traditional training on running performance in well-trained male distance runners. Twenty male distance runners (VO2: 67.4 ± 4.5 ml/kg/min, personal best time for the 5000m: 14'38"47 ± 00'23"46) were recruited and randomly assigned to either the intervention training (IT) group, which performed sprint interval training, or the control training (CT) group, which engaged in traditional long-distance training. Both groups completed their respective training regimens twice a week for 6 weeks. Measurements for VO2max, O2 cost, time to exhaustion (TTE), and running times for 100m, 400m, and 3000m were taken before and after the intervention. Results indicated that the IT group showed significant improvements in TTE and running performance across 100m, 400m, and 3000m (all P < 0.01), while the CT group only demonstrated improvements in 400m time (P < 0.01). The IT group exhibited superior 3000m performance compared to the CT group (P < 0.01). Analysis of effect sizes revealed small to moderate improvements in physiological and performance measures for the IT group, with VO2max showing a small effect size of 0.43, O2 cost a moderate effect size of 0.65, and TTE a moderate effect size of 0.77. These findings suggest that sprint interval training may offer superior benefits for enhancing running performance of well-trained male distance runners, particularly in time to exhaustion and middle-to long-distance events, compared to traditional long-distance training.

    Keywords: sprint interval training, VO2max, Running performance, Distance runners, Endurance

    Received: 28 Nov 2024; Accepted: 20 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Jin, Cai, Zhang, Wu and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Kai Jin, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu Province, China
    Yongqian Zhang, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, 300381, China
    Bin Wu, Nanjing City Vocational College, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
    Yi Yang, Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266100, Shandong, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.