Metabolic profile in elite badminton match play and training drills

Aim of the study was to analyze the metabolic profile of badminton matches and training drills. Therefore, 11 male (23.2 ± 3.8 years, 182 ± 7 cm, 74.4 ± 8.4 kg) and five female (19.3 ± 1.5 years, 170 ± 6 cm, 62.6 ± 9.2 kg) elite badminton players participated in either a training match (T_M; n = 7) and/or three protocols of multifeeding drills (T₁₀, T_30, T_50; n = 13), that varied in interval and rest durations (10 s/10 s, 30 s/30 s, 50 s/50 s). Absolute and relative energetic costs (W_tot and E_tot) and contribution to oxidative (W_Oxid), phosphagen (W_PCr), and anaerobic glycolytic (W_La) metabolism were calculated by the three-component PCr-La-O₂-method based on an indirect calorimetric approach from oxygen consumption during exercise, post exercise, and net blood lactate concentration. A novel intermittent approach was used to consider replenishment of phosphocreatine during each resting phase. Results show that during T_M, E_tot was 676 ± 98J·kg⁻¹ min⁻¹, while metabolic pathways contributed by 56.9 ± 8.6% (W_Oxid), 42.7 ± 8.7% (W_PCr), and 0.4 ± 0.6% (W_La). In the multifeeding drills E_tot was comparable between T₁₀ (1020 ± 160J·kg⁻¹ min⁻¹) and T₃₀ (985 ± 173 J·kg⁻¹ min⁻¹) but higher in T₅₀ (1266 ± 194J·kg⁻¹ min⁻¹) (p < 0.001). Relative contribution of W_Oxid was lower in T₁₀ (47.3 ± 7.7%) but similar in T₃₀ (56.5 ± 6.2%) and T₅₀ (57.3 ± 6.0%) (p < 0.001). W_PCr was highest in T₁₀ (51.1 ± 8.3%) followed by T₃₀ (42.2 ± 6.9%) and lowest in T₅₀ (31.2 ± 7.7%) (p < 0.001). W_La was similar between T₁₀ (1.6 ± 1.0%) and T₃₀ (2.1 ± 1.0%) but higher in T₅₀ (11.6 ± 4.8%) (p < 0.001). Concludingly, metabolic costs in badminton are predominantly covered by oxidative and phosphagen energetic pathways. Metabolic profiles of the multifeeding drills differ depending on rally/interval duration, with increasing contribution of anaerobic glycolysis and decreasing phosphagen contribution in case of longer intervals.