Physiological Responses during Cycle Ergometry at a Constant Perception of Effort

Abstract

13 subjects performed an incremental test to exhaustion, 4, 8-min submaximal rides, and a 1-h ride at the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) that corresponded to the physical working capacity at the OMNI threshold (PWC_OMNI) to examine: 1) the oxygen consumption (V̇O₂), heart rate (HR), minute ventilation (+V̇ _E ), respiratory frequency (FR), and power output responses during 1-h work bouts at a constant RPE that corresponded to the PWC_OMNI; and 2) the ability of current models to explain the responses for physiological and perceptual parameters during the 1-h work bouts. The RPE that corresponded to the PWC_OMNI represented a sustainable exercise intensity (56±5% (V̇O_2Peak ) within the moderate-intensity domain. The mean, normalized slope coefficients for the V̇O₂, +V̇ _E , and power output vs. time relationships during the 1-h rides were significantly less than zero. The mean, normalized slope coefficient for the FR vs. time relationship during the 1-h rides, however, was not significantly different from zero. Thus, RPE most clearly tracked FR responses during the 1-h rides. It was hypothesized that afferent feedback from respiratory muscles may have mediated the perception of effort during cycle ergometry at a constant RPE in the moderate-intensity domain.

Key words

exercise intensity - power output - feedback models - aerobic evulation - RPE

• References

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