Abstract
Purpose
The purpose was to compare the singular and combined effects of 5 s breath holds (BH) and 5 s sprints, every 30 s, during continuous high-intensity exercise, on ventilation (\(\dot {VE}\)), oxygen uptake (\(\dot {V}\)O2) and associated kinetics (τ), carbon dioxide production (\(\dot {V}\)CO2), and arterialized-capillary lactate concentration ([La−]).
Methods
Ten men (24 ± 3 years) performed 4–6 min ergometer protocols that included a step-transition from 20 W to a power output of 50% of the difference between lactate threshold and \(\dot {V}\)O2 peak (Δ50%) including: (1) a continuous protocol (CONT) with free breathing, (2) an intermittent BH protocol (CONT-BH); repeated cycles of 5 s BH: 25 s free breathing, (3) a Fartlek protocol (Fartlek); repeated 5 s at peak aerobic power output: 25 s at Δ50%; (4) combining the 5 s Fartlek and CONT-BH protocol (Fartlek-BH). Breath-by-breath gas exchange, measured by mass spectrometry and turbine, was recorded.
Results
\(\dot {V}\) E (L min−1) was greater (p < 0.05) than CONT (90 ± 7) in all conditions CONT-BH (98 ± 16), Fartlek (105 ± 10), and Fartlek-BH (101 ± 19). \(\dot {V}\)O2 and \(\dot {V}\)CO2 (L min−1) were unchanged in CONT-BH (2.73 ± 0.14 and 3.16 ± 0.38) and greater in Fartlek (2.85 ± 0.12 and 3.43 ± 0.16), compared to CONT (2.71 ± 0.12 and 3.12 ± 0.13). Whereas, \(\dot {V}\)CO2 during Fartlek-BH was higher (3.28 ± 0.35) and \(\dot {V}\)O2 was unchanged (2.73 ± 0.14). Fartlek-BH resulted in slower \(\dot {V}\)O2 kinetics (62.2 ± 19 s) and greater blood lactate concentrations (11.5 ± 2.7 mM), compared to CONT (48.8 ± 12 s; 9.0 ± 2.3 mM, respectively).
Conclusions
It was demonstrated that the CONT-BH resulted in increased ventilation that sustained \(\dot {V}\)O2. However, \(\dot {V}\)O2 was restricted when an additional work was combined with the BH condition.
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Change history
23 October 2018
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.
Abbreviations
- BH:
-
Breath hold
- CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- CONT:
-
Continuous exercise
- CONT-BH:
-
Continuous breath hold
- Fartlek-BH:
-
Fartlek breath hold
- H+ :
-
Hydrogen ion
- [Hbtot]:
-
Total hemoglobin concentration
- [HHb]:
-
Deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration
- [HHb]/\(\dot {V}\)O2 :
-
Adjustment of normalized [HHb]-to-\(\dot {V}\)O2 ratio
- [La−]:
-
Arterialized-capillary lactate concentration
- LT:
-
Estimated lactate threshold
- min:
-
Minute
- ms:
-
Millisecond
- N2 :
-
Nitrogen
- NIRS:
-
Near-infrared spectroscopy
- O2 :
-
Oxygen
- PCr:
-
Phosphocreatine
- PCO2 :
-
Partial pressure of carbon dioxide
- P ETCO2 :
-
End-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide
- P ETO2 :
-
End-tidal partial pressure of oxygen
- PO:
-
Power output
- PO2 :
-
Partial pressure of oxygen
- RPM:
-
Revolutions per minute
- s:
-
Second
- ±:
-
Standard deviation
- S atO2 :
-
Tissue hemoglobin saturation
- τ :
-
Time constant
- \(\dot {V}\)CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide production
- \(\dot {V}\) E :
-
Minute ventilation
- \(\dot {V}\)O2 :
-
Oxygen uptake
- \(\dot {V}\)O2peak :
-
Peak oxygen uptake
- W:
-
Watts
- µ A :
-
Absorption coefficient
- µ S :
-
Scattering coefficient
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Acknowledgements
We express our gratitude to the study participants and to Drs J.M. Kowalchuk and D.H. Paterson for access to the cardiorespiratory lab at the University of Western Ontario’s Canadian Center for Activity and Aging research facility. We also extend our gratitude to Prof. P.A. Robbins, University of Oxford, for providing the End-tidal Forcing software for breath-by-breath pulmonary oxygen uptake measurement, and to Brad Hansen for technical expertise.
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GRB and DL conceived and designed the study; GRB, DL, and JK collected and analyzed the data; GRB, DL, and JK interpreted the results and drafted the manuscript; GB and GDM edited the manuscript.
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Communicated by I. Mark Olfert.
The original version of this article was revised: The presentation of the asterisk symbol and symbols denoting the statistical significance in Table 3 was not correct.
Appendix 1
Appendix 1
See Table 4.
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Lim, D.J., Kim, J.J., Marsh, G.D. et al. Physiological resolution of periodic breath holding during heavy-intensity Fartlek exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 2627–2639 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3986-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3986-9