Exploration des performances anaérobies de l'enfant. Bilan de 30 ans de recherche

Abstract

Anaerobic function during growth has not received the same attention from researchers, as aerobic function. This is a little surprising with respect to the anaerobic energy used daily during infancy, childhood and adolescence. Indeed, during leisure-time activities or sport events, the child is spontaneously more attached to short-burst movements than to long-term activities. Among possible explanations for this paradoxical situation we may consider : 1) the prohibition against highly invasive techniques ; 2) the absence of an anaerobic « gold standard » comparable to the universal adopted VO 2max criterion ; 3) the difficulty in measuring accurately non-steady state physiological responses. So, this paper will review historic development of some methodological and technical aspects on energetic and mechanical factors involved in anaerobic performances in child. The second purpose of this review will be there to give the reader a state-of-the art appreciation of the development of anaerobic fitness and performance during growth and maturation ; influence of sex, training, genetics factors will be discuss.