Concentric not eccentric cycling sprint intervals acutely impair balance and jump performance in healthy active young adults: A randomized controlled cross-over study

Introduction: Moderate aerobic, high-intensity and sprint running or cycling training can transiently impair postural control. However, the acute effects of modified sprint interval training (mSIT) at different muscle working modes have not yet been examined. Thus, this study aimed at investigating acute effects of timematched eccentric (ECC) versus concentric mSIT cycling session (CON) on jumping and functional balance performance. Methods: Twenty-five healthy and active males (30.0 +/- 6.0 years; 80.1 +/- 9.1 kg; VO2max: 64.2 +/- 7.9 mL kg-1 min- 1) were enrolled in this acute randomized controlled crossover trial. CounterMovement-Jump (CMJ) and functional balance testing (Y-Balance-Test composite score [YBTCS]; Posturomed total distance: PosturomedTD) were assessed as primary outcomes before, and immediately after cessation of ECC and CON (10 x 10 s maximum sprints and 50 s of active recovery). Results: A significant mode x time interaction effect for CMJ (F = 9.620, p = 0.005, eta p2 = 0.29) was observed. Subsequent post-hoc testing revealed significant moderate reductions in jumping height after CON (0.31 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.27 +/- 0.06m; p = 0.004, SMD = 0.59), whilst ECC remained unchanged. YBTCS (mode x time interaction: F = 6.880, p = 0.015, eta p2 = 0.22) showed small but significant balance impairments after CON (0.964 +/- 0.068 vs. 0.960 +/- 0.063 AU; p = 0.009, SMD = 0.28) and did not significantly change after ECC. Although large significant interaction effects (p = 0.029, eta p2 = 0.18) were observed for PosturomedTD, follow up post-hoc testing did not reveal relevant pre-post differences, neither for ECC nor CON. Conclusion: Both functional balance and jumping performance are deteriorated after acute concentric but not eccentric mSIT cycling. Although higher pedal forces at lower perceived efforts and heart rates during eccentric mSIT were observed, it seems that the cardiocirculatory demanding CON session elicited more pronounced balance and jump performance impairments than eccentric cycling.

Automated summary

This study found that acute concentric mSIT cycling led to deterioration in functional balance and jumping performance, while eccentric cycling had no significant impact.