Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of treadmill gradients on the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) at two fixed blood lactate concentrations ( [La−]b). Ten subjects performed three different incremental treadmill protocols by running either uphill (concentrically-biased), downhill (eccentrically-biased), or on the flat (non-biased). Individual data of each protocol were interpolated to reflect [La−]b corresponding to 2.0 and 4.0 mmol·l−1. At 2.0 mmol·l−1 [La− b, RPE and treadmill speed during downhill running were greater than during level running which was greater than during uphill running (p < 0.05) . Also, the downhill heart rate (HR) was greater than the uphill HR, and downhill minute ventilation (\(\dot V_E \)) was greater than the level\(\dot V_E \). Treadmill speed was the only measure at 4.0 mmol·l−1 [La−]b to differ between gradients. There was a moderate correlation of RPE with HR at both [La−]b (r = 0.73 at 2.0 mmol·l−1;r = 0.48 at 4.0 mmol·l−1) while treadmill speed was moderately correlated with RPE only at 2.0 mmol·l−1 [La−]b (r = 0.70). The results of this study demonstrated that the degree of eccentric-bias during running exercise is an influence of perceived exertion at a moderate but not at a high exercise intensity.
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Kolkhorst, F.W., Mittelstadt, S.W. & Dolgener, F.A. Perceived exertion and blood lactate concentration during graded treadmill running. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 72, 272–277 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00838651
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00838651