The Effects of Exercise Modality on Pacing Strategy During Endurance Exercise

Purpose: To provide novel insight regarding the influence of exercise modality on training load management by (1) providing a theoretical framework for the impact of physiological and biomechanical mechanisms associated with different exercise modalities on training load management in endurance exercise and (2) comparing effort-matched low-intensity training sessions performed by top-level athletes in endurance sports with similar energy demands. Practical Applications and Conclusions: The ability to perform endurance training with manageable muscular loads and low injury risks in different exercise modalities is influenced both by mechanical factors and by muscular state and coordination, which interrelate in optimizing power production while reducing friction and/or drag. Consequently, the choice of exercise modality in endurance training influences effort beyond commonly used external and internal load measurements and should be considered alongside duration, frequency, and intensity when managing training load. By comparing effort-matched low- to moderate-intensity sessions performed by top-level athletes in endurance sports, this study exemplifies how endurance exercise with varying modalities leads to different tolerable volumes. For example, the weight-bearing exercise and high-impact forces in long-distance running put high loads on muscles and tendons, leading to relatively low training volume tolerance. In speed skating, the flexed knee and hip position required for effective speed skating leads to occlusion of thighs and low volume tolerance. In contrast, the non-weight-bearing, low-contraction exercises in cycling or swimming allow for large volumes in the specific exercise modalities. Overall, these differences have major implications on training load management in sports.

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No effect of nutritional adenosine receptor antagonists on exercise performance in the heat

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.90812.2008 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 296 (2) ◽

pp. R394-R401 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Samuel N. Cheuvront ◽

Brett R. Ely ◽

Robert W. Kenefick ◽

Bozena B. Michniak-Kohn ◽

Jennifer C. Rood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Endurance Exercise ◽

Exercise Performance ◽

Adenosine Receptor ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Total Work ◽

Body Temperatures ◽

Receptor Antagonists ◽

Blood Concentrations ◽

Pacing Strategy

Nutritional adenosine receptor antagonists can enhance endurance exercise performance in temperate environments, but their efficacy during heat stress is not well understood. This double-blinded, placebo-controlled study compared the effects of an acute dose of caffeine or quercetin on endurance exercise performance during compensable heat stress (40°C, 20–30% rh). On each of three occasions, 10 healthy men each performed 30-min of cycle ergometry at 50% V̇o2peak followed by a 15-min performance time trial after receiving either placebo ( Group P), caffeine ( Group C; 9 mg/kg), or quercetin ( Group Q; 2,000 mg). Serial blood samples, physiological (heart rate, rectal, and mean skin body temperatures), perceptual (ratings of perceived exertion, pain, thermal comfort, motivation), and exercise performance measures (total work and pacing strategy) were made. Supplementation with caffeine and quercetin increased preexercise blood concentrations of caffeine (55.62 ± 4.77 μM) and quercetin (4.76 ± 2.56 μM) above their in vitro inhibition constants for adenosine receptors. No treatment effects were observed for any physiological or perceptual measures, with the exception of elevated rectal body temperatures (0.20–0.30°C; P < 0.05) for Group C vs. Groups Q and P. Supplementation did not affect total work performed ( Groups P: 153.5 ± 28.3, C: 157.3 ± 28.9, and Q: 151.1 ± 31.6 kJ; P > 0.05) or the self-selected pacing strategy employed. These findings indicate that the nutritional adenosine receptor antagonists caffeine and quercetin do not enhance endurance exercise performance during compensable heat stress.

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Different Endurance Exercise Modalities, Different Affective Response: A Within-Subject Study

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686661 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Katja Dierkes ◽

Felipe Mattioni Maturana ◽

Inka Rösel ◽

Peter Martus ◽

Andreas M. Nieß ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endurance Exercise ◽

Affective Response ◽

Exercise Session ◽

Affective Valence ◽

Dual Mode ◽

Mode Theory ◽

Interval Exercise ◽

Continuous Exercise ◽

Exercise Modality ◽

Interoceptive Cues

Affect experienced during an exercise session is supposed to predict future exercise behavior. However, empirical evidence reveals high variability in affective response to different exercise modalities. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to compare acute affective response and its variation during three different endurance exercise modalities: (a) moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE), (b) vigorous-intensity continuous exercise (VICE), and (c) high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Using the dual-mode theory as a theoretical framework, cognitive and interoceptive factors were considered as potential predictors of in-task affective response. In a within-subject design, 40 insufficiently active healthy participants (aged from 20 to 40 years) attended three sessions per exercise modality on a cycle ergometer. Affective valence (measured by the Feeling Scale), two cognitive factors (perceived competence and awareness of interoceptive cues), and one interoceptive factor (heart rate) were assessed before, during, and after each exercise session. Mixed models with three levels (subject, exercise session, and time point) revealed more positive affective valence during MICE compared with VICE (p < 0.001) and HIIE (p < 0.01), while there was no significant difference between the latter two. Levene's test results showed the highest variability of in-task affective valence during VICE (ps < 0.01). Regarding the course across the session, MICE was associated with a constant slight increase in affective valence from pre- to post-exercise (p < 0.05), whereas VICE and HIIE caused a decline in pleasure, followed by an affective rebound immediately after exercise termination (ps < 0.01). The highest importance of cognitive and interoceptive factors for in-task affective valence was observed in VICE (ps < 0.05). The current findings provide support for the tenets of the dual-mode theory, however, indicating that there may be differences in the affect-intensity relationship between continuous and interval exercise. In conclusion, the study results concerning previously insufficiently active individuals extend the knowledge of how exercise can positively shape affective well-being depending on exercise modality and psychophysiological influences. This knowledge enables public health practitioners to design more individualized activity recommendations, thereby improving the subjective experience of exercise.

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