ABSTRACT
Being able to produce on demand a single maximal intensity effort is a basic requirement of competition, and the ability to repeatedly produce short-duration high-intensity bouts of exercise without a significant decrement in performance is a pre-requisite of success in many youth sports. This chapter examines maximal and high-intensity exercise and explores the mechanisms underpinning their development and trainability. Performance of and recovery from repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise (e.g. repeated sprint sequences) by youth and young adults are compared, contrasted, and analysed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of high-intensity interval training in relation to youth sport performance.
