Introduction: Ice hockey is a physically demanding sport that requires a combination of aerobic and anaerobic capacities, as well as specific on-ice skills. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of individualized interval training on a slide board with training on a cyclo-ergometer, focusing on aerobic capacity and specific fitness in elite ice hockey players. Materials and Methods: Thirty players were randomly divided into an experimental (slide board) and a control (cyclo-ergometer) group. Both groups underwent a 6-week training program with the same intensity and volume. Results: The results showed that both forms of training led to significant improvements in aerobic capacity, as indicated by VO2max and VO2 lactate thresholds. The slide board training group demonstrated higher effect sizes (d = 1.49, 1.62) than the cyclo-ergometer one (0.76, 0.43). Specific on-ice performance tests showed that slide board training resulted in faster skating times (p = 0.0002), suggesting a greater transfer of training effects to on-ice skills. Conclusions: This study highlights the benefits of incorporating slide board interval training into the off-season training regimen of elite ice hockey players. Slide board training improves specific on-ice skills, which are crucial for high-level hockey performance. These findings provide valuable insights for coaches and strength and conditioning specialists working with elite ice hockey players.

Purpose: The balance of low- and high-intensity training, reflecting aerobic and anaerobic capacities, respectively, varies by sport and discipline. Yet their specific contributions in male flat-water kayaking remain poorly understood. This study aimed to describe the relationship of anthropometric parameters and aerobic and anaerobic indicators to the performance of elite flat-water kayakers.Methods: Twenty-five male elite kayakers were categorised into national and international competition levels. For aerobic capacity, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was measured using spiroergometry, while anaerobic capacity was assessed using the Wingate upper arm test, determining relative peak power (PP) and relative mean power (MP) in W/kg. Concurrently, blood lactate concentrations were measured post-exercise.Results: No significant differences were determined in anthropometric parameters and VO2max from the spiroergometry between the national- and international-level kayakers. However, the Wingate upper arm test results revealed that international kayakers, including an Olympic champion, exhibited significantly higher maximal power output, represented here by PP (10.43 ± 0.80 W/kg) compared to their national counterparts (9.69 ± 0.52 W/kg). Moreover, significant positive correlations were found between PP and MP with the blood lactate concentration post-exercise.Conclusions: The findings suggest that the ability to generate maximal power output and maintain high-intensity anaerobic power might be the decisive factors determining the top elite performance in flat-water kayaking, especially at shorter race distances. The study’s results highlight the critical balance between anaerobic and aerobic capacities in elite flat-water kayaking and encourage coaches to incorporate targeted training regimens to enhance anaerobic strength.

This study examined whether training periodization is associated with a systematic shift in the anaerobic performance profile of elite Czech sprint kayakers, assessed through seasonal (winter–summer) changes in Wingate-derived anaerobic performance, blood lactate response, and body composition analysis. Twenty-five sprint kayakers (10 women, 15 men) completed a 30-s upper-body Wingate test and anthropometric assessment during the winter preparatory period and again during the summer competition period. From winter to summer, peak power decreased by 37.3 ± 34.9 W (p < 0.001, dz = −1.07) and by 0.31 ± 0.43 W·kg⁻¹ (p = 0.001, dz = −0.73), whereas mean power increased by 14.8 ± 24.1 W (p = 0.005, dz = 0.61) and by 0.30 ± 0.28 W·kg⁻¹ (p < 0.001, dz = 1.07). Stroke cadence increased by 2.8 ± 3.7 rpm (p = 0.001), while body mass decreased by 1.3 ± 1.5 kg (p < 0.001) and skinfold-derived body fat decreased by 0.9 ± 1.5% (p = 0.006); peak blood lactate did not differ significantly between seasons (p = 0.228). The pattern was broadly similar in men and women, although the increase in absolute mean power did not reach significance in women (p = 0.087) despite a significant increase in relative mean power (p = 0.002). Peak power was lower and mean power was higher in the competitive phase than in the preparatory phase, indicating a shift in the anaerobic power profile toward sustained output. Because this study compared a single preparatory–competitive pair without a repeated macrocycle or a non-training control condition, this pattern is best interpreted as a phase-associated difference consistent with seasonal training emphasis, rather than as a demonstrated causal effect of training. This shift, coinciding with the transition from the winter preparatory to the summer competition phase, is the central finding of the study; monitoring an athlete’s position along this continuum may help coaches individualise periodization and interpret single-time-point Wingate results.

Human locomotor performance requires continuous physiological adaptation to task-specific mechanical and metabolic demands. In sprint kayaking, it remains insufficiently understood how race or performance format and sex influence metabolic responses, particularly in elite athletes. This exploratory study compared blood lactate concentration and acid–base status after 500 m K1 and K4 races and a 30 s kayak-ergometer Wingate test in 22 elite Czech sprint kayakers (12 men, 10 women). Capillary blood was analysed for lactate, pH, pCO₂, base excess (BE), and bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻). Whole-blood buffering index (β) was calculated as Δ[lactate]/ΔpH. In paired K1–K4 comparisons (n = 18; 11 men, 7 women), lactate was higher after K1 than K4 (12.87 ± 2.96 vs. 9.10 ± 1.80 mmol·L⁻¹; p < 0.001). In paired K1–Wingate comparisons (n = 13; 10 men, 3 women), neither statistically significant difference nor statistical equivalence were demonstrated in pH, BE, or HCO₃⁻, despite significantly higher lactate concentrations after K1 (p = 0.016). During the Wingate test (n = 12 men, n = 10 women), men showed greater HCO₃⁻ and BE decrements and lower post-exercise pH than women, whereas no significant differences were detected for β. To characterize the relationship between mechanical performance and buffering capacity, a novel index, the acid–base cost of performance (ABCP), was proposed and defined as the absolute change in bicarbonate concentration (|ΔHCO₃⁻|) normalized to relative mean power (W·kg⁻¹). No statistically significant sex differences in ABCP were observed during the Wingate test. These findings highlight task-specific metabolic responses across different sprint kayaking formats and introduce ABCP as an exploratory index relating bicarbonate depletion to mechanical performance during high-intensity human locomotion, although its physiological validity and test–retest reliability require further investigation.