Sex differences in maximal and submaximal cardiorespiratory responses in non-endurance athletes across sports categories

Abstract Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness is important, even for non-endurance athletes, but remains underexplored. Particularly, there is a paucity of data on differences between male and female athletes in these sports. This study evaluated the differences in cardiorespiratory profiles between males and females and performance tiers across sports categories in non-endurance athletes. Methods: Two hundred and ninety athletes (143 females) were analyzed and then categorized into sports categories (Combat, Power, Racquet, and Team) and performance calibers (National and International). All athletes performed a cardiopulmonary running test until exhaustion, and first and second ventilatory thresholds (VT₁ and VT₂, respectively) were determined. Results: Most sex-related differences in submaximal velocities (VT₁andVT₂) occurred in Power and Team sports. Males presented higher V̇O2max and vV̇O2max than females (~10-17 % and 11-26%, respectively). Heart rate was similar between sexes and across sports categories at V̇O2max and VT₂. Heart rate and velocities at maximal and submaximal intensities differed between National and International tiers in Team sports (except velocity at VT₂). No significant differences were found between sexes and performance calibers in V̇O₂, HR, and velocity at VTs when normalized to their respective maximal values (except %V̇O2max and %vV̇O2max at VT₁). Conclusion: Sex differences in cardiorespiratory fitness were more pronounced between Power and Team athletes at submaximal intensities. Notably, V̇O₂max was comparable between males and females only in Racquet athletes, whereas males consistently exhibited higher vV̇O₂max across all groups. Overall, performance levels did not appear to influence the cardiorespiratory fitness profile.