The intensity of training might be influenced by exercise mode and type of terrain. Thus, the objective of this study was a) to compare the physiological indices determined in the TCAR test carried out on natural grass (NG) and sandy ground (SG), and b) to analyze heart rate (HR) and blood lactate responses during constant exercise on SG and NG. Ten soccer players (15.11 ± 1.1 years, 168 ± 4.0 cm, 60 ± 4.0 kg) were submitted to the TCAR test to determine peak velocity (PV) and the intensity corresponding to 80.4% PV (V80.4) on NG and SG. The second evaluation consisted of two constant load tests (CLT) (80.4% PV on NG and SG) with a duration of 27 min. The paired Student t-test was used to compare the tests carried out on NG and SG. ANOVA (two-way), complemented by the Tukey test, was used to compare lactate concentrations [La] at 9, 18 and 27 min between the two types of terrain. A p value <0.05 was adopted. PV and V80.4 (15.3±1.0 and 12.3±0.6 km/h) were significantly higher on grass than on sand (14.3±1.0 and11.5±0.4 km/h). Lactate concentration during the CLT [LaV80.4] was significantly higher on sand (4.1±0.9 mmol/L) than on grass (2.8±0.7 mmol/L). In the CLT, no significant difference in mean HR was observed between the two terrains, whereas there was a difference in [La]. In conclusion, the type of terrain interferes with indicators associated with aerobic power and capacity obtained by the TCAR test.
Training; Aerobic capacity; Peak velocity