Purpose Blood lactate accumulation (Delta-BLC) during maximal short-term exercise is a crucial indicator of peak glycolytic activation in anaerobic performance assessment. However, the relationship between Delta-BLC and sprint performance remains inconsistent, potentially due to variations in testing protocols and the use of absolute rather than relative performance metrics. This study investigated the relationship between Delta-BLC and cycling sprint performance, hypothesizing normalization to body weight is essential for accurate metabolic performance evaluation. Methods Twenty-two trained male athletes performed a 10-s maximal isokinetic cycling sprint on an ergometer. Power output and cadence were continuously recorded to calculate peak power (Ppeak), time to peak power (tPpeak), mean power (Pmean), and power increase during the lactic phase (max-delta-P, Delta-P). Capillary blood samples were collected pre-exercise and up to 12 min post-exercise to determine pre-exercise (BLCpre) and maximal post-exercise blood lactate concentration (BLCmax). BLC was calculated as BLCmax-BLCpre. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlations and stepwise multiple regression. Results Delta-BLC exhibited significant correlations with body-weight-normalized max-delta-P (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), Pmean (r = 0.70, p < 0.001), and Ppeak (r = 0.65, p < 0.01). In contrast, no significant correlations were observed with absolute metrics (p > 0.05). Stepwise regression analysis identified adjusted max-delta-P and Pmean as the strongest predictors of Delta-BLC (adjusted R2 = 0.648, p < 0.001). Conclusion Relative, body-weight-adjusted metrics, particularly max-delta-P and Pmean, are strongly associated with Delta-BLC. The use of these relative metrics may enhance the precision of anaerobic performance assessment, facilitate more effective training monitoring, and improve talent identification processes in sports requiring high-intensity efforts.
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