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Exercise-related sensations contribute to decrease power during repeated cycle sprints with limited influence on neural drive

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purposes

We manipulated the inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) to examine the effects of physiological perturbations on exercise-related sensations and the neural drive of the quadriceps during repeated, brief, maximal cycle sprints.

Methods

Nine active males completed a repeated sprint cycle protocol (10 × 4-s maximal sprints with 30 s of passive recovery) in normoxia (NM; FiO2 0.21) and severe normobaric hypoxia (HY; FiO2 0.13). Peak power, quadriceps Root Mean Squared electromyography (RMS EMG), physiological (heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, blood lactate concentration) and perceptual responses were recorded.

Results

The 10 sprints in HY were associated with lower arterial oxygen saturation values compared to NM [80.7 ± 0.9 vs. 95.6 ± 0.6%; P < 0.001; effect size (ES) = 0.98], higher blood lactate values (11.9 ± 0.4 vs. 9.9 ± 0.9 mmol L−1; P = 0.05; ES = 0.36), and greater exercise-related sensations (~36%; P < 0.001; ES > 0.47). Mean power for sprints 1–10 were lower (−13 ± 3%; P = 0.001; ES = 0.79), and sprint decrement was more pronounced in HY compared to NM (21.4 ± 3.7 vs. 13.2 ± 2.7%; P = 0.003). There was a 17% decrease in RMS EMG activity from the first to the last sprint (P < 0.001; ES = 0.65), independent of condition (P = 0.597; ES = 0.04).

Conclusions

Despite severe hypoxia exacerbating both physiological and perceptual perturbations, the performance decrement observed during the repeated sprint protocol did not coincide with an accentuated decline in RMS EMG activity. These data suggest that higher-than-normal exercise-related sensations or perceptions coincide with fatigue during repeated sprinting, independent of changes in neural drive, when the task characteristics are known beforehand.

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Abbreviations

EMG:

Electromyography

FiO2 :

Fraction of inspired oxygen

HY:

Hypoxic conditions

MP:

Mean power

NM:

Normoxic conditions

RMS EMG:

Root mean squared electromyography

RPE:

Ratings of perceived exertion

RSA:

Repeated-sprint ability

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the subjects for their participation in this investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Athlete Health and Research Performance Center, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar

    Olivier Girard & Ryan J. Christian

  2. Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Olivier Girard

  3. Département de kinésiologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    François Billaut

  4. Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

    Ryan J. Christian & David J. Bishop

  5. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

    Paul S. Bradley

Authors
  1. Olivier Girard
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  2. François Billaut
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  3. Ryan J. Christian
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  4. Paul S. Bradley
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  5. David J. Bishop
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Correspondence to Olivier Girard.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Communicated by Guido Ferretti.

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Girard, O., Billaut, F., Christian, R.J. et al. Exercise-related sensations contribute to decrease power during repeated cycle sprints with limited influence on neural drive. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 2171–2179 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3705-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3705-y

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