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Effect of exercise intensity on post-exercise oxygen consumption and heart rate recovery

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

There is some evidence that measures of acute post-exercise recovery are sensitive to the homeostatic stress of the preceding exercise and these measurements warrant further investigation as possible markers of training load. The current study investigated which of four different measures of metabolic and autonomic recovery was most sensitive to changes in exercise intensity.

Methods

Thirty-eight moderately trained runners completed 20-min bouts of treadmill exercise at 60, 70 and 80 % of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and four different recovery measurements were determined: the magnitude of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOCMAG), the time constant of the oxygen consumption recovery curve (EPOCτ), heart rate recovery within 1 min (HRR60s) and the time constant of the heart rate recovery curve (HRRτ) .

Results

Despite significant differences in exercise parameters at each exercise intensity, only EPOCMAG showed significantly slower recovery with each increase in exercise intensity at the group level and in the majority of individuals. EPOCτ was significantly slower at 70 and 80 % of VO2max vs. 60 % VO2max and HRRτ was only significantly slower when comparing the 80 vs. 60 % VO2max exercise bouts. In contrast, HRR60s reflected faster recovery at 70 and 80 % of VO2max than at 60 % VO2max.

Conclusion

Of the four recovery measurements investigated, EPOCMAG was the most sensitive to changes in exercise intensity and shows potential to reflect changes in the homeostatic stress of exercise at the group and individual level. Determining EPOCMAG may help to interpret the homeostatic stress of laboratory-based research trials or training sessions.

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Abbreviations

CVTEM :

Typical error as a coefficient of variation

EE:

Energy expenditure

EPOC:

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption

EPOCMAG :

Magnitude of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption

EPOCτ:

Time constant of oxygen consumption recovery curve

HR:

Heart rate

HRR:

Heart rate recovery

HRR60s :

1-min heart rate recovery

HRRτ:

Time constant of the heart rate recovery curve

HRmax :

Maximal heart rate

RER:

Respiratory exchange ratio

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

PTRS:

Peak treadmill running speed

VO2 :

Oxygen uptake

VO2max :

Maximum oxygen uptake

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported financially by the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), the Ernst and Ethel Eriksen Trust and the University of Cape Town.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there was no conflict of interest in the preparation of this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Newlands, PO BOX 115, Cape Town, 7725, South Africa

    Theresa N. Mann, Christopher Webster, Robert P. Lamberts & Michael I. Lambert

  2. Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa

    Robert P. Lamberts

Authors
  1. Theresa N. Mann
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  2. Christopher Webster
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  3. Robert P. Lamberts
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  4. Michael I. Lambert
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Correspondence to Theresa N. Mann.

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Communicated by Massimo Pagani.

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Mann, T.N., Webster, C., Lamberts, R.P. et al. Effect of exercise intensity on post-exercise oxygen consumption and heart rate recovery. Eur J Appl Physiol 114, 1809–1820 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-014-2907-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-014-2907-9

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