scholarly journals Intermittent post-exercise sauna bathing improves markers of exercise capacity in hot and temperate conditions in trained middle-distance runners

Author(s):  
Nathalie V. Kirby ◽  
Samuel J. E. Lucas ◽  
Oliver J. Armstrong ◽  
Samuel R. Weaver ◽  
Rebekah A. I. Lucas

Abstract Purpose This study investigated whether intermittent post-exercise sauna bathing across three-weeks endurance training improves exercise heat tolerance and exercise performance markers in temperate conditions, compared to endurance training alone. The subsidiary aim was to determine whether exercise-heat tolerance would further improve following 7-Weeks post-exercise sauna bathing. Methods Twenty middle-distance runners (13 female; mean ± SD, age 20 ± 2 years, $$V$$ V O2max 56.1 ± 8.7 ml kg−1 min−1) performed a running heat tolerance test (30-min, 9 km h−1/2% gradient, 40 °C/40%RH; HTT) and temperate (18 °C) exercise tests (maximal aerobic capacity [$$V$$ V O2max], speed at 4 mmol L−1 blood lactate concentration ([La−]) before (Pre) and following three-weeks (3-Weeks) normal training (CON; n = 8) or normal training with 28 ± 2 min post-exercise sauna bathing (101–108 °C, 5–10%RH) 3 ± 1 times per week (SAUNA; n = 12). Changes from Pre to 3-Weeks were compared between-groups using an analysis of co-variance. Six SAUNA participants continued the intervention for 7 weeks, completing an additional HTT (7-Weeks; data compared using a one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance). Results During the HTT, SAUNA reduced peak rectal temperature (Trec; − 0.2 °C), skin temperature (− 0.8 °C), and heart rate (− 11 beats min−1) more than CON at 3-Weeks compared to Pre (all p < 0.05). SAUNA also improved $$V$$ V O2max (+ 0.27 L−1 min−1; p = 0.02) and speed at 4 mmol L−1 [La−] (+ 0.6 km h−1; p = 0.01) more than CON at 3-Weeks compared to Pre. Only peak Trec (− 0.1 °C; p = 0.03 decreased further from 3-Weeks to 7-Weeks in SAUNA (other physiological variables p > 0.05). Conclusions Three-weeks post-exercise sauna bathing is an effective and pragmatic method of heat acclimation, and an effective ergogenic aid. Extending the intervention to seven weeks only marginally improved Trec.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie V. Kirby ◽  
Samuel J. E. Lucas ◽  
Thomas G. Cable ◽  
Oliver J. Armstrong ◽  
Samuel R. Weaver ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex on the efficacy of intermittent post-exercise sauna bathing to induce heat acclimation and improve markers of temperate exercise performance in trained athletes. Methods Twenty-six trained runners (16 female; mean ± SD, age 19 ± 1 years, V̇O2max F: 52.6 ± 6.9 mL⋅kg−1⋅min−1, M: 64.6 ± 2.4 mL⋅kg−1⋅min−1) performed a running heat tolerance test (30 min, 9 km⋅h−1/2% gradient, 40 °C/40%RH; HTT) and temperate (18 °C) exercise tests (maximal aerobic capacity [V̇O2max] and lactate profile) pre and post 3 weeks of normal exercise training plus 29 ± 1 min post-exercise sauna bathing (101–108 °C) 3 ± 1 times per week. Results Females and males exhibited similar reductions (interactions p > 0.05) in peak rectal temperature (− 0.3 °C; p < 0.001), skin temperature (− 0.9 °C; p < 0.001) and heart rate (− 9 beats·min−1; p = 0.001) during the HTT at post- vs pre-intervention. Only females exhibited an increase in active sweat glands on the forearm (measured via modified iodine technique; F: + 57%, p < 0.001; M: + 1%, p = 0.47). Conversely, only males increased forearm blood flow (measured via venous occlusion plethysmography; F: + 31%, p = 0.61; M: + 123%; p < 0.001). Females and males showed similar (interactions p > 0.05) improvements in V̇O2max (+ 5%; p = 0.02) and running speed at 4 mmol·L−1 blood lactate concentration (+ 0.4 km·h−1; p = 0.001). Conclusions Three weeks of post-exercise sauna bathing effectively induces heat acclimation in females and males, though possibly amid different thermoeffector adaptations. Post-exercise sauna bathing is also an effective ergogenic aid for both sexes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kirsch ◽  
M. Düe ◽  
H. Holzhausen ◽  
C. Sandersen

Objective performance monitoring in eventing horses is rare as the implementation of standardised exercise tests is commonly perceived to interfere with the daily training routine. The validity of performance parameters derived from GPS data, heart rate (HR) and post exercise blood lactate concentration (LAC) measured during usual training sessions should therefore be evaluated. Velocity (V), HR and post exercise LAC recorded during 172 interval training sessions in 30 horses were retrospectively analysed. Linear regression of HR, averaged over retrospectively defined speed ranges, was used to calculate the V at HRs of 150 (V150) and 200 (V200) beats/min. A single exponential regression model, fitted to LAC in relation to HR values from the whole group of horses, was used to predict LAC for each horse’s individual HR value and to calculate the difference between measured and predicted LAC (LACdiff). Recovery HRs were derived from bi-exponential regression of HR decrease after exercise. Results were compared between different stages of training in the same horses and between horses categorised as superior (SP) and average performer (AP) according to their competition performance. V150 and V200 significantly increased with progressing training. SP had higher V150 and V200 values, lower LACdiff values and lower HRs after 1 min of recovery (HRR60s) than AP. Competition performance was positively correlated to V150 and V200 but negatively correlated to LACdiff and HRR60s. Regular monitoring of HR and LAC in response to interval training provided valuable indicators of performance. The results of this study may contribute to an increased applicability of routine performance monitoring in eventing horses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-262
Author(s):  
Benhammou Saddek ◽  
Jérémy B.J. Coquart ◽  
Laurent Mourot ◽  
Belkadi Adel ◽  
Mokkedes Moulay Idriss ◽  
...  

SummaryThe aims of this study were (a): to compare maximal physiological responses (maximal heart rate: HRmax and blood lactate concentration: [La-]) and maximal aerobic speed (MAS) achieved during a gold standard test (T-VAM) to those during a new test entitled: the 150-50 Intermittent Test (150-50IT), and (b): to test the reliability of the 150-50IT. Eighteen middle-distance runners performed, in a random order, the T-VAM and the 150-50IT. Moreover, the runners performed a second 150-50IT (retest). The results of this study showed that the MAS obtained during 150-50IT were significantly higher than the MAS during the T-VAM (19.1 ± 0.9 vs. 17.9 ± 0.9 km.h−1, p < 0.001). There was also significant higher values in HRmax (193 ± 4 vs. 191 ± 2 bpm, p = 0.011), [La-] (11.4 ± 0.4 vs. 11.0 ± 0.5 mmol.L−1, p = 0.039) during the 150-50IT. Nevertheless, significant correlations were noted for MAS (r = 0.71, p = 0.001) and HRmax (r = 0.63, p = 0.007). MAS obtained during the first 150-50IT and the retest were not significantly different (p = 0.76) and were significantly correlated (r = 0.94, p < 0.001, intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93 and coefficient of variation = 6.8 %). In conclusion, the 150-50IT is highly reproducible, but the maximal physiological responses derived from both tests cannot be interchangeable in the design of training programs.


Author(s):  
Rebekah J. Nixon ◽  
Sascha H. Kranen ◽  
Anni Vanhatalo ◽  
Andrew M. Jones

AbstractThe metabolic boundary separating the heavy-intensity and severe-intensity exercise domains is of scientific and practical interest but there is controversy concerning whether the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) or critical power (synonymous with critical speed, CS) better represents this boundary. We measured the running speeds at MLSS and CS and investigated their ability to discriminate speeds at which $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 was stable over time from speeds at which a steady-state $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 could not be established. Ten well-trained male distance runners completed 9–12 constant-speed treadmill tests, including 3–5 runs of up to 30-min duration for the assessment of MLSS and at least 4 runs performed to the limit of tolerance for assessment of CS. The running speeds at CS and MLSS were significantly different (16.4 ± 1.3 vs. 15.2 ± 0.9 km/h, respectively; P < 0.001). Blood lactate concentration was higher and increased with time at a speed 0.5 km/h higher than MLSS compared to MLSS (P < 0.01); however, pulmonary $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 did not change significantly between 10 and 30 min at either MLSS or MLSS + 0.5 km/h. In contrast, $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 increased significantly over time and reached $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2\,\,\max }$$ V ˙ O 2 max at end-exercise at a speed ~ 0.4 km/h above CS (P < 0.05) but remained stable at a speed ~ 0.5 km/h below CS. The stability of $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 at a speed exceeding MLSS suggests that MLSS underestimates the maximal metabolic steady state. These results indicate that CS more closely represents the maximal metabolic steady state when the latter is appropriately defined according to the ability to stabilise pulmonary $$\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{2}$$ V ˙ O 2 .


Author(s):  
T Mann

Background. Lactate or, as it was customarily known, ‘lactic acid’ was one of the first molecules to attract the attention of early exercise scientists, mainly because blood lactate concentration could be measured and was shown to increase with increasing exercise intensity. This connection resulted in lactate being associated with numerous other events associated with high-intensity exercise including muscle cramps, fatigue, acidosis and post-exercise muscle soreness. Nobel prize-winning research by AV Hill and Otto Meyerhof provided a rational explanation linking lactate to anaerobiosis and acidosis, which resulted in this relationship being widely accepted as fact. It was only following isotopic tracer studies of George Brooks and others that the true role of lactate during rest and exercise was revealed. Conclusions. Lactate is now acknowledged as an important intermediate of carbohydrate metabolism, taken up from the blood by tissues such as skeletal and cardiac muscle as a substrate for oxidation. Furthermore, lactate formation consumes a proton, thereby buffering against muscle acidosis. For this reason, lactate production forms an essential aid to endurance performance rather than a hindrance.


1977 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-185
Author(s):  
C. M. Wood ◽  
B. R. McMahon ◽  
D. G. McDonald

Exhausting activity results in a marked and immediate drop in blood pH which gradually returns to normal over the following 6h. The acidosis is caused largely by elevated Pco2 levels, which vary inversely with pH. Blood lactate concentration increases slowly, reaching a maximum at 2--4h post-exercise, and contributes significantly to the acidosis only late in the recovery period. The slow time course of lactic acid release into the blood permits temporal separation of the peak metabolic acidosis from the peak respiratory acidosis. Evidence is presented that a metabolic acid other than lactic also makes a modest contribution to the pH depression during the recovery period.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000815
Author(s):  
Mette Engan ◽  
Ida Jansrud Hammer ◽  
Trine Stensrud ◽  
Hilde Gundersen ◽  
Elisabeth Edvardsen ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate changes in pulmonary function and feasibility of portable continuous laryngoscopy during maximal uphill running.MethodsHealthy volunteers participated in an uphill race. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were obtained before and 5 and 10 min after finishing the race. Capillary blood lactate concentration ([BLa-]) and Borg score for perceived exertion were registered immediately after the race. One participant wore a portable video-laryngoscope during the race, and the video was assessed for technical performance.ResultsTwenty adult subjects participated with a mean (SD) age of 40.2 (9.7) years. Mean (SD) race duration and post-exercise [BLa-] was 13.9 (2.3) min and 10.7 (2.1) mmol/L, respectively, and the median (range) Borg score for perceived exertion was 9 (5–10). Mean percentage change (95% CI) 5 and 10 min post-exercise in FEV1 were 6.9 (3.7 to 10.2) % and 5.9 (2.7 to 9.0) %, respectively, and in FVC 5.2 (2.3 to 8.1) % and 4.7 (1.6 to 7.9) %, respectively. The recorded video of the larynx was of good quality.ConclusionsMaximal aerobic field exercise induced bronchodilatation in the majority of the healthy non-asthmatic participants. It is feasible to perform continuous video-laryngoscopy during heavy uphill exercise.


2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Bescós ◽  
Carlos Gonzalez-Haro ◽  
Pere Pujol ◽  
Franchek Drobnic ◽  
Eulalia Alonso ◽  
...  

To assess the effect of diet enrichment with L-arginine or supplementation at high doses on physiological adaptation during exercise, 9 athletes followed 3 different diets, each over 3 consecutive days, with a wash-out period of 4 d between training sessions: control diet (CD), 5.5 ± 0.3 g/d of L-arginine; Diet 1 (rich in L-arginine food), 9.0 ± 1.1 g/d of L-arginine; and Diet 2 (the same as CD but including an oral supplement of 15 g/d), 20.5 ± 0.3 g/d of L-arginine. Plasma nitrate levels of each participant were determined on the day after each treatment. Participants performed a submaximal treadmill test (initial speed 10–11 km/hr, work increments 1 km/hr every 4 min until 85–90% VO2max, and passive recovery periods of 2 min). Oxygen uptake and heart rate were monitored throughout the test. Blood lactate concentration ([La−]b) was determined at the end of each stage. Repeated-measures ANOVA and paired Student’s t tests were used to compare the various physiological parameters between diets. The level of significance was set at p < .05. [La−]b showed a significant effect at the 5-min time point between CD and Diet 2 (CD 3.0 ± 0.5 mM, Diet 2 2.5 ± 0.5 mM, p = .03), but this tendency was not found at higher exercise intensities. No significant differences were observed in any of the cardiorespiratory or plasma nitrate levels. In conclusion, dietary L-arginine intake on the days preceding the test does not improve physiological parameters during exercise.


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