Repeated-sprint training yields small-to-large gains in field fitness
Jump, sprint, repeated-sprint ability and intermittent running all improve
Protocol
Included: trained participants; series of ≤10 s sprints with ≤60 s recovery; 2-12 weeks; running- or cycling-based; studies up to February 2014.
Trials per outcome: counter-movement jump 6 (2 controlled), 10 m sprint 8, 20 m sprint 4 (3 controlled), 30 m sprint 2, repeated-sprint ability 8, high-intensity intermittent running 3 — each outcome rests on a small number of trials.
Key Findings
| Outcome | Effect size (95% CL) | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-movement jump | 0.33 (±0.30) non-controlled; 0.63 (±0.44) controlled | likely small / possibly moderate |
| 10 m sprint time | −0.42 (±0.24) non-controlled | very likely small |
| 20 m sprint time | −0.49 (±0.46) non-controlled; −0.65 (±0.61) controlled | possibly moderate |
| 30 m sprint | −1.01 (±0.93) non-controlled | possibly large |
| Repeated-sprint ability | −0.62 (±0.25) | possibly moderate |
| High-intensity intermittent running | −0.61 (±0.54) | possibly moderate |
Authors' conclusion: repeated-sprint training can induce small to large improvements in power, speed, repeated-sprint ability and endurance, and may be relevant for team-sport training.
Practical Application
Across up to 8 trials per outcome in trained participants, 2-12 weeks of repeated-sprint training (≤10 s sprints, ≤60 s recovery) improved jump, sprint speed, repeated-sprint ability (ES −0.62) and high-intensity intermittent running (ES −0.61) — a compact way to develop several team-sport fitness qualities at once.
Inference, not tested: program it as one tool among conditioning methods; the endurance outcome here is intermittent running performance, not VO2max.
Limitations
Pools non-controlled trials; each outcome rests on 2-8 trials, and confidence limits are wide (30 m sprint ±0.93).
Magnitude-based inference statistics.
How this entry was checked and changed
Content correction 2026-09-27
"Small-to-moderate improvements" -> small to large (30 m sprint possibly large, ES −1.01); "aerobic capacity" -> high-intensity intermittent running performance (the abstract does not report VO2max).
Removed "clearest transfer / biggest payoff in repeated-sprint ability" (not a ranking the abstract makes); added the abstract's effect sizes, inclusion criteria and trial counts.
Sport "conditioning" -> "running, cycling" (intervention modes); "one tool among methods" labelled as inference.