Fatigue Evaluation through Machine Learning and a Global Fatigue Descriptor.

Research in physiology and sports science has shown that fatigue, a complex psychophysiological phenomenon, has a relevant impact in performance and in the correct functioning of our motricity system, potentially being a cause of damage to the human organism. Fatigue can be seen as a subjective or objective phenomenon. Subjective fatigue corresponds to a mental and cognitive event, while fatigue referred as objective is a physical phenomenon. Despite the fact that subjective fatigue is often undervalued, only a physically and mentally healthy athlete is able to achieve top performance in a discipline. Therefore, we argue that physical training programs should address the preventive assessment of both subjective and objective fatigue mechanisms in order to minimize the risk of injuries. In this context, our paper presents a machine-learning system capable of extracting individual fatigue descriptors (IFDs) from electromyographic (EMG) and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. Our novel approach, using two types of biosignals so that a global (mental and physical) fatigue assessment is taken into account, reflects the onset of fatigue by implementing a combination of a dimensionless (0-1) global fatigue descriptor (GFD) and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The system, based on 9 main combined features, achieves fatigue regime classification performances of 0.82 ± 0.24, ensuring a successful preventive assessment when dangerous fatigue levels are reached. Training data were acquired in a constant work rate test (executed by 14 subjects using a cycloergometry device), where the variable under study (fatigue) gradually increased until the volunteer reached an objective exhaustion state.

Effects of Walking with Blood Flow Restriction on Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption.

This study determined the influence of walking with blood flow restriction (BFR) on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) of healthy young men. 17 healthy young men (22.1±2.9 years) performed graded treadmill exercise to assess VO2peak. In a randomized fashion, each participant performed 5 sets of 3-min treadmill exercise at their optimal walking speed with 1-min interval either with or without BFR. Participants were then seated in a chair and remained there for 30 min of recovery. Expired gases were continuously monitored during exercise and recovery. BFR increased the O2 cost of walking as well as its relative intensity and cumulative O2 deficit (p<0.05). The EPOC magnitude after walking with BFR was greater than in the non-BFR condition (p<0.05). No differences between conditions were seen for the duration of EPOC. The EPOC magnitude was no longer different between conditions after controlling for the differences in relative intensity and in the cumulative O2 deficit (p>0.05). These data indicate that walking with BFR increases the magnitude of EPOC. Moreover, they also demonstrate that such increment in EPOC is likely explained by the effects of BFR on walking relative intensity and cumulative O2 deficit.

Walking economy of adults with Down syndrome.

This study intended to investigate walking economy (WE) in response to different treadmill speeds and grades in adults with Down syndrome (DS) and in non-disabled controls. Eighteen participants (14 males; 4 females) with DS (33.6+/-7.6 years) and 16 non-disabled (12 males, 4 females) controls (33.3+/-8.0 years) performed submaximal (2.5 km . h (-1) and 4 km . h (-1) at 0% grade; 4 km . h (-1) at 2.5% and 5% grade, for 5 min each) and maximal treadmill tests with metabolic and heart rate measurements. Oxygen uptake (VO(2)) was not different between groups at rest or during the slowest treadmill speed. However, at faster speeds and increased grades, adults with DS presented lower WE than controls (p<0.0001). Subsequent analyses revealed that, despite showing higher delta VO(2) response to the selected speed increments (p<0.0001), individuals with DS produced similar VO(2) increase as controls to grade variations. Therefore, adults with DS exhibit lower WE than non-disabled controls at a speed faster than their preferred walking speed. Additionally, in comparison to controls, individuals with DS show a greater change in energy expenditure with a change in walking speed. In conclusion, lower WE in individuals with DS is mainly related to their inability to adapt efficiently to positive variations in walking speed.