Acute Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Responses to Incremental Cycling Exercise in Endurance- and Strength-Trained Athletes

• Published in: Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 643
• Main Authors: Jurasz, Maciej, Boraczyński, Michał, Laskin, James J, Kamelska-Sadowska, Anna M, Podstawski, Robert, Jaszczur-Nowicki, Jarosław, Nowakowski, Jacek J, Gronek, Piotr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22-04-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Acute effects; Adaptation; Blood levels; Blood pressure; bodybuilders; Bodybuilding; Carbon dioxide; cardiometabolic parameters; Contraindications; Endurance; Exercise; Heart rate; Laboratories; Lactic acid; Metabolic response; Metabolism; Physical fitness; Physical training; Physiology; progressive cycle performance; resistance training; Rest; Sports training; Statistical analysis; Strength training; Structure-function relationships; triathlon athletes; Poland; resistance training; progressive cycle performance; cardiometabolic parameters; triathlon athletes; bodybuilders
• ISSN: 2079-7737; 2079-7737
• DOI: 10.3390/biology11050643

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a progressive submaximal cycling exercise on selected cardiorespiratory and metabolic variables in endurance and strength trained athletes. The sample comprised 32 participants aged 22.0 ± 0.54 years who were assigned into three groups: an endurance trained group (END, triathletes, n = 10), a strength trained group (STR, bodybuilders, n = 10), and a control group (CON, recreationally active students, n = 12). The incremental cycling exercise was performed using a progressive protocol starting with a 3 min resting measurement and then a 50 W workload with subsequent constant increments of 50 W every 3 min until 200 W. The following cardiometabolic variables were evaluated: heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and blood lactate (BLa−). We found the between-group differences in metabolic variables (the average RER and BLa−) were statistically significant (Tukey’s HSD test: CON vs. STR, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively; CON vs. END, p < 0.001; END vs. STR, p < 0.001). RER and BLa− differences in all groups depended on the workload level (G-G-epsilon = 0.438; p < 0.004 and G-G-epsilon = 0.400; p < 0.001, respectively). There were no significant differences in cardiorespiratory variables between endurance- and strength-trained groups. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that acute cardiorespiratory responses at each of the four submaximal workloads were comparable in endurance- compared to strength-trained athletes, but significantly different compared to recreationally active men. However, there were significant differences in the metabolic responses of RER and BLa−. Based on our findings we recommend that endurance-trained athletes follow a concurrent training program, combined strength and endurance training, to improve neuromuscular parameters and thus optimize their economy of movement and endurance-specific muscle power capacity.