Béres Bettina, Györe István, Zsákai Annamária, Dobronyi Tamas, Bakonyi Peter, Szabó Tamás
Department of Health Sciences and Sport Medicine, Hungarian University of Sports Science, 1123 Budapest, Hungary.
Sport Sciences and Diagnostic Research Centre, Hungarian Handball Federation, 1103 Budapest, Hungary.
Sports (Basel). 2025 Jul 31;13(8):252. doi: 10.3390/sports13080252.
Laboratory-based assessment of cardiorespiratory function is a widely applied method in sports science. Most performance evaluations focus on oxygen uptake parameters. Despite the well-established concept of oxygen deficit introduced by Hill in the 1920s, relatively few studies have examined its behavior during submaximal exercise, with limited exploration of deficit dynamics. The present study aimed to analyze the behavior of oxygen deficit in young female handball players (N = 42, age: 15.4 ± 1.3 years) during graded exercise. Oxygen deficit was estimated using the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) algorithm, restricted to subanaerobic threshold segments of a quasi-ramp exercise protocol. Cardiorespiratory parameters were measured with the spiroergometry test on treadmills, and body composition was assessed via Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Cluster and principal component analyzes revealed two distinct athlete profiles with statistically significant differences in both morphological and physiological traits. Cluster 2 showed significantly higher relative VO peak (51.43 ± 3.70 vs. 45.70 ± 2.87 mL·kg·min; < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.76), yet also exhibited a greater oxygen deficit per kilogram (39.03 ± 16.71 vs. 32.56 ± 14.33 mL·kg; = 0.018; d = 0.80). Cluster 1 had higher absolute body mass (69.67 ± 8.13 vs. 59.66 ± 6.81 kg; < 0.001), skeletal muscle mass ( < 0.001), and fat mass ( < 0.001), indicating that body composition strongly influenced oxygen deficit values. The observed differences in oxygen deficit profiles suggest a strong influence of genetic predispositions, particularly in cardiovascular and muscular oxygen utilization capacity. Age also emerged as a critical factor in determining the potential for adaptation. Oxygen deficit during submaximal exercise appears to be a multifactorial phenomenon shaped by structural and physiological traits. While certain influencing factors can be modified through training, others especially those of genetic origin pose inherent limitations. Early development of cardiorespiratory capacity may offer the most effective strategy for long-term optimization.
基于实验室的心肺功能评估是体育科学中一种广泛应用的方法。大多数性能评估都集中在摄氧参数上。尽管希尔在20世纪20年代提出的氧亏概念已得到充分确立，但相对较少的研究考察了其在次最大运动期间的表现，对亏缺动态的探索有限。本研究旨在分析年轻女性手球运动员（N = 42，年龄：15.4 ± 1.3岁）在分级运动期间的氧亏表现。使用美国运动医学学院（ACSM）算法估计氧亏，该算法仅限于准斜坡运动方案的次厌氧阈值段。通过跑步机上的运动心肺功能测试测量心肺参数，并通过双能X线吸收法（DEXA）评估身体成分。聚类分析和主成分分析揭示了两种不同的运动员特征，在形态和生理特征上均存在统计学显著差异。聚类2显示相对VO峰值显著更高（51.43 ± 3.70对45.70 ± 2.87 mL·kg·min；< 0.001；科恩d = 1.76），但每千克的氧亏也更大（39.03 ± 16.71对32.56 ± 14.33 mL·kg； = 0.018；d = 0.80）。聚类1的绝对体重（69.67 ± 8.13对59.66 ± 6.81 kg；< 0.001）、骨骼肌质量（< 0.001）和脂肪质量（< 0.001）更高，表明身体成分对氧亏值有强烈影响。观察到的氧亏特征差异表明遗传易感性有很大影响，特别是在心血管和肌肉氧利用能力方面。年龄也是决定适应潜力的关键因素。次最大运动期间的氧亏似乎是一个由结构和生理特征塑造的多因素现象。虽然某些影响因素可以通过训练改变，但其他因素，尤其是那些遗传起源的因素存在固有局限性。心肺功能的早期发展可能是长期优化的最有效策略。
