Physiological role of anticipatory cardiorespiratory responses to exercise.

This study aimed to investigate whether anticipatory cardiorespiratory responses vary depending on the intensity of the subsequent exercise bout, and whether anticipatory cardiorespiratory adjustments contribute importantly to enhancing exercise performance during high-intensity exercise. Eleven healthy men were provided advance notice of the exercise intensity and a countdown to generate anticipation during 10 min prior to exercise at 0, 50, 80 or 95% maximal work-rate (Experiment 1). A different group of subjects (n = 15) performed a time to exhaustion trial with or without anticipatory countdown (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO2 ) and minute ventilation (VE ) during pre-exercise resting period increased over time and depended on the subsequent exercise intensity. Specifically, there was already a 7.4% increase in HR from more than 5 min prior to the start of exercise at 95% maximal work-rate, followed by progressively augmented increases of 12.5% between 2 and 3 min before exercise, 24.4% between 0 and 1 min before exercise. In Experiment 2, the initial HR for the first 10 s of exercise in the task with anticipation was 11.4% larger compared to without anticipation (p < 0.01), and the difference in HR between the two conditions decreased in a time-dependent manner. In contrast, the initial increases in VO2 and VE were significantly lower in the task with anticipation than that without anticipation. The time to exhaustion during high-intensity exercise was 14.6% longer under anticipation condition compared to no anticipation (135 ± 26 s vs. 119 ± 26 s, p = 0.003). In addition, the enhanced exercise performance correlated positively with increased HR response just before and immediately after exercise onset (p < 0.01). These results showed that anticipatory cardiorespiratory adjustments (feedforward control) via the higher brain that operate before starting exercise may play an important role in minimizing the time delay of circulatory response and enhancing performance after onset of high-intensity exercise in man.

Six Weeks of Hip Joint Training Using a Novel Multihip Joint Board Improves Sprint Performance in Competitive Collegiate Male Sprinters.

ABSTRACT: Nakata, H, Nakanishi, Y, Otsuki, S, Mizuno, M, Connor, J, and Doma, K. Six weeks of hip joint training using a novel multihip joint board improves sprint performance in competitive collegiate male sprinters. J Strength Cond Res 36(10): 2891-2897, 2022-In a previous study, we identified the possibility that hip joint training using a multihip joint board (MHJB) may increase the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the psoas major (PM) muscle and improve sprint performance. However, the preliminary study reported descriptive findings because of a limited sample size. Therefore, we aimed to investigate and statistically infer the effects of the MHJB training protocol with a larger sample of male collegiate sprinters. The sprinters were randomly assigned to either the MHJB group ( n = 7) or the control group ( n = 7). The MHJB protocol consisted of 7 separate exercises targeting the development of the hip musculature, all using the MHJB device. The MHJB group undertook the MHJB protocol 3 times per week for 6 weeks, after their normal daily workout, whereas the control group completed their normal daily workout without the MHJB protocol. Sprint performance was recorded from official 100-m competitions before, and after, the 6-week training period. At the end of the training period, significantly greater improvement in PM CSA and 100-m sprint was noted in the MHJB group compared with the control group. These findings confirm the efficacy of MHJB training for increasing PM CSA and improve sprint performance in competitive male sprinters.