The Metabolic Relevance of Locomotion Type in 30-second all-out Anaerobic Testing: Running, Cycling, and Jumping

Background/objective: This study aims to compare and analyze the metabolic profiles of 30 s all-out running, jumping and, cycling. Methods : Sixteen male team sports players performed 30s all-out running (RUN30), cycling (WAnT) and, jumping (CJ30) tests. Pre, during and, post-test, oxygen consumption (VO ₂ ) using a portable metabolic gas analyzer and blood lactate concentration [BLa] were measured and the metabolic profiles were estimated using the PCr-LA-O ₂ method. Results : RUN30's anaerobic-alactic (E _PCr ) energy was significantly higher than WAnT and CJ30, indicating a major difference in anaerobic-alactic power output. RUN30 and WAnT's anaerobic-lactic (E _BLC ) energy surpassed CJ30's, suggesting a pronounced reliance on anaerobic-lactic pathways. No significant differences in aerobic energy contribution (E _AER ) were observed among test modalities, but the small effect size indicates a consistent contribution of aerobic metabolism across 30-second, high-intensity exercises. Total energy expenditure was significantly higher in RUN30 and WAnT than in CJ30, highlighting the substantial metabolic demand of these activities compared to jumping. Conclusions : These findings highlight the importance of exercise mode in determining the metabolic demands and energy contributions during 30-second all-out efforts. RUN30 and WAnT had higher overall and anaerobic energy expenditure than CJ30, emphasizing the need to select anaerobic tests based on relevant metabolic profiles.