Sex-Related Differences in Oxygen Consumption Recovery After High-Intensity Rowing Exercise During Childhood and Adolescence.

Purpose: To determine sex-related differences in oxygen consumption ( V ˙ O 2 ) recovery after high-intensity exercise during childhood and adolescence. Methods: Forty-two boys and 35 girls (10–17 y) performed a 60-second all-out test on a rowing ergometer. Postexercise V ˙ O 2 recovery was analyzed from (1) the V ˙ O 2 recovery time constant obtained from a biexponential model (τ1 V ˙ O 2 ) and (2) excess postexercise oxygen consumption calculated over a period of 8 minutes (EPOC₈) and until τ₁ V ˙ O 2 was reached (EPOCτ₁). Multiplicative allometric modeling was used to assess the concurrent effects of body mass or lean body mass, and age on EPOC₈ and EPOCτ₁. Results: EPOC₈ increased significantly more in boys from the age of 14 years. However, the sex difference was no longer significant when EPOC₈ was analyzed using an allometric model including body mass + age or lean body mass + age. In addition, despite a greater increase in EPOCτ₁ in boys from the age of 14 years, τ₁ V ˙ O 2 was not significantly different between sexes whatever age. Conclusion: While age and lean body mass accounted for the sex-related differences of EPOC during childhood and adolescence, no significant effect of age and sex was observed on the V ˙ O 2 recovery time constant after high-intensity exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]