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J Appl Physiol 90: 2081-2087, 2001;
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Vol. 90, Issue 6, 2081-2087, June 2001

VO2 and heart rate kinetics in cycling: transitions from an elevated baseline

S. E. Bearden and R. J. Moffatt

Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee Florida 32306


    ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

The purpose of this study was to examine oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate kinetics during moderate and repeated bouts of heavy square-wave cycling from an exercising baseline. Eight healthy, male volunteers performed square-wave bouts of leg ergometry above and below the gas exchange threshold separated by recovery cycling at 35% VO2 peak. VO2 and heart rate kinetics were modeled, after removal of phase I data by use of a biphasic on-kinetics and monoexponential off-kinetics model. Fingertip capillary blood was sampled 45 s before each transition for base excess, HCO<UP><SUB>3</SUB><SUP>−</SUP></UP> and lactate concentration, and pH. Base excess and HCO<UP><SUB>3</SUB><SUP>−</SUP></UP> concentration were significantly lower, whereas lactate concentration and pH were not different before the second bout. The results confirm earlier reports of a smaller mean response time in the second heavy bout. This was the result of a significantly greater fast-component amplitude and smaller slow-component amplitude with invariant fast-component time constant. A role for local oxygen delivery limitation in heavy exercise transitions with unloaded but not moderate baselines is presented.

oxygen uptake kinetics; cycling


    INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

AT THE ONSET OF AN ABRUPT INCREASE in work rate (square-wave exercise), ATP consumption rises immediately, whereas oxygen consumption (VO2) increases more slowly. What keeps VO2 from rising immediately to its steady-state level? Are the kinetics a function of metabolic inertia, or is delivery of oxygen to blame? Below the gas-exchange threshold (GET; moderate exercise), metabolic inertia is believed the limiting factor (17, 19). Controversy remains for transitions above the GET (heavy exercise), where VO2 kinetics are more complex.

In heavy exercise, the kinetics incorporate at least two components [beyond the initial phase I component (32)] that manifest in series (4). An intrinsic property of a system where components manifest in series is that the mean response time may be altered by changes to the component time constants, amplitudes, and/or time delays. For example, the mean response time may decrease by decreasing the component time constants without changing component amplitudes, by changing the ratio of the amplitudes with no change in the time constants, or by an earlier slow-component onset despite invariant time constants and amplitudes. Therefore, the conclusions of previous studies that were focused on the mean response time (7, 15, 23) are not easily applied to understanding the underlying physiology of such a complex system. Without a detailed analysis of the VO2 kinetic components, the issue of metabolic inertia or oxygen delivery for heavy exercise remains unresolved.

This study was driven by the hypothesis that the rate of increase in VO2 in heavy square-wave exercise is set by metabolic state (inertia and demand) and is not limited by the ability of the cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen in healthy adults. Therefore, it was postulated that 1) there would be no difference in the initial (fast component) time constant among moderate and repeated heavy transitions; 2) systemic acidosis would not be a necessary condition for the speeded mean response time in the second heavy bout (acidosis was previously implicated in improving perfusion and we hypothesized perfusion is not the limiting factor); and 3) cardiac output kinetics could be dissociated from the VO2 response.

To this end, an elevated baseline (~35% VO2 peak, ~60% GET) was used, which differs from the typically employed unloaded cycling baseline. The elevated baseline was used, in part, to enhance recovery (addressing hypothesis 2); an active recovery of this moderate intensity is optimal for speeding systemic metabolic recovery (13). Moreover, an elevated baseline may slow heart rate kinetics (21) and was used in this study for its potential to dissociate VO2 and heart rate during the nonsteady state (addressing hypothesis 3). The elevated baseline was expected to raise baseline cardiac output, setting stroke volume closer to its plateau (25) and to allow more reliable inferences to cardiac output kinetics directly from the heart rate response (also addressing hypothesis 3). This work rate (~35% VO2 peak, ~60% GET) has been shown to maximize parasympathetic withdrawal, leaving the slower, sympathetic nervous system to mediate increases in heart rate and cardiac output (33).


    METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Subjects. Eight healthy male volunteers experienced with cycling on a stationary ergometer gave written informed consent to participate in this study. The procedures were approved by the Florida State University Human Subjects Review Board. Subjects were 27 ± 3 yr old, 177 ± 4 cm tall, and 72 ± 8 kg in body mass.

Preparation. Subjects were prohibited from alcohol and strenuous activity for 24 h and from caffeine for 15 h before arrival in the laboratory. No one reported taking dietary supplements or ergogenic aids aside from vitamin/mineral supplements. Subjects consumed a light carbohydrate meal 2-3 h before arrival in the laboratory and repeated this meal before all test days. Testing was at the same time of day, ±2 h, for each subject. Subjects were not permitted to cycle to the laboratory and remained sedentary in the testing area for at least 30 min before each test.

Testing. Subjects cycled at 90 rpm on an electrically braked leg ergometer (Lode, Groningen, Netherlands) on 4 separate testing days. Ninety revolutions per minute was the approximate mean preferred cadence among the subjects and the one most often chosen on a blinded familiarization day. Cadence differences appear to alter the kinetics response only to a small degree within the typically employed range (3).

Gas exchange was measured every breath with a Parvomedics MMS-2400 system (Consentius Technologies, Salt Lake City, UT). Total dead space of the system (mouthpiece, valve, collection tube, pneumotach, mixing chamber, and sampling tube) was 4.98 liters. A seven-point flowmeter calibration was made before each test with a 3-liter syringe (Hans Rudolph, Kansas City, MO) at rates that spanned the expected measurements. Gas calibration was made immediately before each test, with gases spanning the range of O2 and CO2 expected during data collection.

The first day was a test for VO2 peak (1 W/5 s) and continued until the cadence could not be maintained despite verbal encouragement. The GET was defined as the break in slope of the CO2 production (VCO2)-VO2 relationship by use of Levenberg-Marquadt estimation to identify the intersection of two lines that minimized the sum of the squared residuals. Starting values in the iteration procedures were 1.0 for the initial slope, threshold estimated visually (30), and 1.3 for the upper slope. The computer-identified GET was, in all cases, in close agreement with the visually identified VCO2-VO2 break.

The last three sessions were divided into one moderate (Mod) and two heavy (Hvy) exercise days, which were completed in random order. On each day, after a 5-min baseline warm-up at a VO2 of 35% peak, subjects completed two 10-min cycling periods at an elevated work rate, separated by 10 min of baseline recovery cycling. The elevated work rate was either a VO2 of 90% GET (Mod) or a VO2 of 30% of the difference between GET and VO2 peak (30%Delta ; Hvy). Test sessions for a given subject were separated by >= 2 days.

The VO2 responses for the 2 Hvy transition days were time aligned. To remove nonphysiological datum points resulting from coughing, sneezing, etc., any breaths more than four standard deviations away from the mean of the surrounding six breaths (3 before and 3 after) were deleted. The decision to remove these points was confirmed visually to ensure that only clearly nonphysiological outliers were deleted; these amounted to about six to eight breaths over the 10-min period for each test. The superimposed data set was then smoothed (rolling five-breath average).

Because the elevated baseline is different from the unloaded cycling baseline in previous studies (15, 23), we preliminarily analyzed the two Mod bouts separately. There was no difference (paired t-test) between the two Mod bouts for any on- or off-kinetic parameter (P > 0.05). Therefore, the two Mod bouts, completed on the same day, were time aligned and averaged to produce a single response, which enhances confidence in model fitting (22).

Before modeling, each test was examined for a steady state. Accurate and complete kinetic modeling is not assured without establishing, or rigorously estimating, a steady state for the parameter(s) to be modeled. Linear regression was applied to the final 3 min of data for each average response. The 95% confidence interval for each regression slope was examined; in all cases, the 95% confidence interval included zero. This was the basis for deciding that a steady state had been reached. To further confirm the steady state, the 9- to 10-min average VO2 was compared with the modeled asymptote (paired t-test) and was not different (P > 0.05).

As described by Whipp and colleagues (32), the phase I component (9) was removed before modeling by visually analyzing the VO2 and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) responses for each transition. Initially, VO2 kinetics were modeled using a monoexponential formula (Eq. 1) to compare these results with the faster mean response time (MRT) reported previously (7, 15, 23). The MRT was calculated as TD1 + tau 1. After a significant speeding of the overall kinetics (smaller MRT in the second bout) was found, gas exchange data were modeled using a biphasic formula with independent time delays (Eq. 2)
<A><AC>V</AC><AC>˙</AC></A><SC>o</SC><SUB><IT>2</IT></SUB>(<IT>t</IT>)<IT>=</IT>B<IT>+</IT>A<SUB><IT>1</IT></SUB>(<IT>1−e</IT><SUP><IT>−</IT>(<IT>t−</IT>TD<SUB><IT>1</IT></SUB>)<IT>/&tgr;<SUB>1</SUB></IT></SUP>) (1)

<A><AC>V</AC><AC>˙</AC></A><SC>o</SC><SUB><IT>2</IT></SUB>(<IT>t</IT>)<IT>=</IT>B<IT>+</IT>A<SUB><IT>1</IT></SUB>(<IT>1−e</IT><SUP><IT>−</IT>(<IT>t−</IT>TD<SUB><IT>1</IT></SUB>)<IT>/&tgr;<SUB>1</SUB></IT></SUP>)<IT>+</IT>A<SUB><IT>2</IT></SUB>(<IT>1−e</IT><SUP><IT>−</IT>(<IT>t−</IT>TD<SUB><IT>2</IT></SUB>)<IT>/&tgr;<SUB>2</SUB></IT></SUP>) (2)
where VO2(t) is whole body VO2 at time t, B is baseline (warm-up) VO2 calculated as the average VO2 over the last 2 min of warm-up, A1 and A2 are the fast and slow-component amplitudes, respectively, TD1 and TD2 are their respective time delays, and tau 1 and tau 2 are their respective time constants. Invariably, the slow component (A2) regressed toward zero in the Mod transitions; therefore, the Mod bouts were reanalyzed using a monoexponential formula (Eq. 1).

Each amplitude component was allowed to begin only after its time delay. Confidence in the time constant (tau 1) was 2.23 ± 0.41 s in Hvy1, 2.34 ± 0.45 s in Hvy2, and 4.53 ± 0.89 s in Mod, based on formulas reported by Lamarra and colleagues (22).

Off-kinetics were initially modeled using a biphasic formula; however, the model consistently regressed to a monoexponential function of time (the time constants for the two components were not different). Therefore, the off-kinetics were modeled using a monoexponential equation
<A><AC>V</AC><AC>˙</AC></A><SC>o</SC><SUB><IT>2</IT></SUB>(<IT>t</IT>)<IT>=</IT>EE<A><AC>V</AC><AC>˙</AC></A><SC>o</SC><SUB><IT>2</IT></SUB><IT>−′</IT>A<SUB><IT>1</IT></SUB>(<IT>1−e</IT><SUP><IT>−</IT>(<IT>t−′</IT>TD<SUB><IT>1</IT></SUB>)<IT>/′&tgr;<SUB>1</SUB></IT></SUP>) (3)
where EEVO2 is end-exercise VO2 with the other parameters as described above; the prime mark (') designates these as off-kinetics parameters.

Heart rate (HR) was monitored telemetrically (Polar Electro, Woodbury, NY) and recorded online at the end of every breath (signaled from the pneumotach). The data were then superimposed, averaged, filtered, and modeled in the identical manner as for the VO2 data. Therefore, the heavy transitions were modeled much like the method used by Engelen and colleagues (14). The justification for choosing the biphasic model is that visual analysis clearly revealed a fast phase approaching a plateau with a subsequent delayed rise. These response characteristics were particularly clear after averaging of the two responses.

As described by Stringer and colleagues (29), cardiac output (Q) was estimated as Q = VO2/[5.721 + (0.1047 × %VO2 peak)]. Stroke volume (SV) was estimated as SV = Q/HR.

Capillary blood was taken from a fingertip 45 s before each of the two abrupt increases in work rate. Blood lactate (Accusport, Indianapolis, IN), pH, base excess, and [HCO<UP><SUB>3</SUB><SUP>−</SUP></UP>] (AVL, Roswell, GA) were measured immediately. Blood analysis instruments were calibrated immediately before every test by use of standards that spanned the expected range of test measurements (>= 1 point above and 1 point below the expected measurement).

Gains for the responses were calculated as the fast-component gain, G1 = A1/Delta W, and total gain, GT = (A1+A2)/Delta W.

Statistics. Paired t-tests were used to compare the initial MRTs between the two Hvy transitions. Paired t-tests were used to compare A1, A2, TD2, tau 2, 'A1, G1, base excess, [HCO<UP><SUB>3</SUB><SUP>−</SUP></UP>], blood lactate, and pH between the two Hvy transitions. ANOVA (randomized block design) was used to compare baseline VO2, baseline HR, TD1, tau 1, GT, 'TD1, and 'tau 1 among the Mod and two Hvy transitions; subjects served as blocks, the category of comparison as the fixed factor, and the measurement as the dependent variable. Tukey's post hoc comparisons were used whenever overall significance was found to identify the differing pairs. Paired t-tests were used to compare time delays and time constants between the VO2 and HR responses. Pearson moment correlations were computed for each bout (Mod, Hvy1, Hvy2) between VO2tau 1 and HR tau 1. Alpha was set at P = 0.05.


    RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

VO2 peak and GET were 60 ± 3 ml O2 · kg-1 · min-1 and 58 ± 7% peak, respectively. Blood lactate and pH returned to baseline before the onset of the second bout ([La-]: 1st = 1.78 ± 0.34 mM , 2nd = 2.24 ± 0.64 mM; pH: 1st = 7.38 ± 0.01, 2nd = 7.38 ± 0.02; mean ± SD). In contrast, base excess and [HCO<UP><SUB>3</SUB><SUP>−</SUP></UP>] were significantly lower before the onset of the second bout (base excess: 1st = 0.70 ± 1.37 mM, 2nd = -0.96 ± 1.11 mM; [HCO<UP><SUB>3</SUB><SUP>−</SUP></UP>]: 1st = 25.90 ± 1.28 mM, 2nd = 24.13 ± 0.89 mM; mean ± SD).

Actual work rates were baseline 35.6 ± 5.2% VO2 peak or 60.5 ± 10.2% GET, Mod asymptote 52.2 ± 5.9% VO2 peak or 89.9 ± 7.2% GET, and Hvy asymptote 69.4 ± 7.1% VO2 peak or 27.2 ± 13.2% Delta .

VO2. Initial analysis of mean response times revealed a significant speeding of the overall kinetics in Hvy2 (MRT: 1st = 55.5 ± 10.1 s, 2nd = 44.3 ± 7.7 s). The on-transition parameters are given in Table 1. Subject 6, for whom the first Hvy bout generated a slow-component amplitude of 92 ml O2/min, demonstrated monoexponential kinetics in the second bout (A2 regressed to zero). Therefore, comparisons between the two bouts for VO2 slow-component parameters (A2, TD2, tau 2) were made with seven subjects. The amplitude and gain of the fast component (A1, A1/W) were significantly larger than in the first bout, as was the overall projected asymptote for the fast component (B + A1). The time constant of the fast component was not different among Mod, Hvy1, and Hvy2. The amplitude of the slow component (A2) was significantly smaller in Hvy2 than in Hvy1. The onset of the slow component (TD2) was significantly later in Hvy2 and its time constant (tau 2) was significantly smaller than in Hvy1. The VO2 asymptote and overall gain (GT) was not different between Hvy1 and Hvy2. The two Hvy bouts for subject 5 are shown superimposed in Fig. 1.

                              
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Table 1.   On-transition VO2 and HR responses to Hvy and to Mod exercise transition



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Fig. 1.   Representative response to repeated heavy cycling transitions (subject 5). First and second transitions from 60% gas-exchange threshold (GET) to 30% of the difference between the GET and peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) are superimposed. Note the greater fast-component amplitude (A1). There was no difference in the fast-component time constant (tau 1) or overall response asymptote between the two bouts.

Off-transition kinetic parameters are given in Table 2. There were no differences in the off-transition parameters among the Mod and Hvy bouts.

                              
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Table 2.   Off-transition VO2 and HR responses to Hvy and to Mod exercise transition

HR. The on-transition kinetics of the heart rate responses are shown in Table 1. For subject 7, the kinetics were monoexponential in both Hvy bouts. The time delay (TD2) for the slow component of the HR kinetics was significantly longer in Hvy2 than in Hvy1 and was not significantly different from TD2 for VO2 in either bout. The initial rise in HR (A1) for the two Hvy bouts was not different, and its time constant was not different among the Mod and the two Hvy bouts. However, in each case, the time constant (tau 1) was significantly longer than for VO2. Furthermore, the HR and VO2 fast-component time constants (tau 1) were not significantly correlated (Fig. 2). The slow component of HR kinetics had a smaller amplitude and time constant in Hvy2 than in Hvy1; the time constant was not significantly different from the VO2tau 2 for the same bout. There was a significantly lower HR asymptote in Hvy2 than in Hvy1.


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Fig. 2.   Correlation plots for heart rate (HR) and VO2 tau 1 in moderate (Mod) and heavy (Hvy1 and Hvy2) exercise transitions. Dissociation of cardiac and VO2 kinetics emphasizes the importance of local controllers of blood flow. See text for further discussion.

Baseline HRs were not different among the Mod and two Hvy bouts, meaning that HR had recovered in the 10-min recovery period and that the starting values for the three transitions were not statistically different. Off-transition kinetic parameters for HR are given in Table 2. The amplitude of recovery in Hvy2 was significantly smaller than in Hvy1, reflecting a return to the same HR from a significantly lower asymptote. The time constant for recovery in Hvy2 was significantly longer than for the Mod bout, although not different from Hvy1. The Mod and Hvy2 recovery time constants were significantly longer than for VO2 in the same bouts.

Estimated Q and SV comparisons are given in Fig. 3. Estimated stroke volume was not different across conditions; the elevated baseline appeared to serve its purpose in raising stroke volume to a plateau. Therefore, it is assumed that HR was responsible for any changes in Q and that HR kinetics reflect Q kinetics.


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Fig. 3.   Estimated stroke volume and cardiac output. Bars with the same letter are not significantly different; bars with different letters are significantly different. Base, baseline exercise value; Ex, steady-state exercise value.


    DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

The primary finding in the present study was that a faster MRT in repeated heavy transitions is not due to a smaller fast-component time constant but to a relative shift in kinetic amplitudes (larger A1 and smaller A2) with the same final asymptote. It was further demonstrated that HR (and presumably Q) kinetics can be dissociated from VO2 kinetics with a baseline of ~35% VO2 peak.

Burnley and colleagues (8) modeled repeated heavy transitions from a 20-W baseline and demonstrated a greater fast-component asymptote with invariant time constant (~25 s). Thus the faster MRT in repeated heavy transitions does not appear to be the result of faster initial kinetics regardless of baseline work rate. This leads to the conclusion that factors limiting tau 1 are not different in repeated bouts.

It has been demonstrated that previous leg (7, 15, 23) and previous arm (7) exercise results in a faster MRT in a subsequent bout of heavy leg ergometry. If a shift in the relative amplitudes is the cause of the faster MRT, then what causes these changes even when the previous exercise is in a different muscle group?

A potential mechanism for shifts in kinetic component amplitudes. Bangsbo and colleagues (1) reported that previous heavy arm exercise caused a greater potassium loss from subsequently exercising legs than in the control (no previous arm exercise) condition and concluded that elevated potassium concentration in the leg interstitium was an important mediator of fatigue. We hypothesize that previous heavy exercise (arm or leg) disrupts the sarcolemmal electrochemical gradient through elevated extracellular potassium concentration in the leg interstitium, as reported by Bangsbo and colleagues. The resulting fatigue would demand the recruitment of additional, potentially less economic fibers to begin the subsequent bout and mediate a greater fast-component asymptote, as modeled in the present study and recently by others (8).

Oxygen demand over the pre-TD2 period is no greater than the observed A1 asymptote (5). Consistent with this, Grassi and colleagues (16) demonstrated that elevating pretransition O2 delivery along with adenosine infusion (to induce vasodilation) in maximally stimulated mammalian muscle speeds tau 1 without altering A1. These demonstrations support the conclusion that the greater A1 in Hvy2 was the result of a greater oxygen demand (potentially from additionally recruited fibers), not the removal of a delivery limitation. Dispersing the same work rate over a larger motor unit pool at the onset of Hvy2 would lead to less fatigue of individual myocytes, demanding a smaller additional recruitment in the slow-component period to maintain force output. This is supported by the present data showing 1) a later slow-component onset (consistent with a better ability to sustain the initial change in work rate without fatigue), 2) a smaller slow-component time constant (consistent with a reduced need to serially recruit new myocytes with developing fatigue), and 3) a smaller slow-component amplitude (consistent with a smaller net increase in motor unit recruitment). These considerations are consistent with the prevailing theory that the slow component is the result of increased motor unit recruitment (3, 6, 28, 31).

In contrast to the present study, Burnley and colleagues (8) found the overall asymptote to be lower in the second bout. This is most likely a methodological difference; Burnley and colleagues (8) used 6-min bouts resulting in termination of the exercise at a time when only ~50% of the apparent slow component had developed (before one time constant had elapsed). The 10-min bouts in the present study included >85% of the slow-component data (i.e., >2tau 2), and the VO2 time slope was not different from zero over the last minutes of each bout. Short bouts may not allow for a full adjustment to the work rate and may lead to inaccurate modeling. However, it is possible that differences in the two studies exist that facilitated a truly smaller asymptote in their study (8), but these must await further investigation. Because the final asymptote was not different across bouts in the current study, it is assumed that the same final motor unit pool was recruited (or its metabolic equivalent) and that the primary difference between the two bouts was in the partitioning of recruitment order.

An elevated baseline may speed VO2 kinetics (11, 12), although this is not a universal conclusion (21). An intriguing finding in the present study was the similar tau 1 for moderate and heavy transitions (Table 1). In contrast, tau 1 is usually significantly slower in heavy compared with moderate transitions; note that we used a baseline of moderate exercise, whereas previous studies have used a light or unloaded baseline (8, 14, 24). Grassi and colleagues (16) showed that elevated pretransition oxygen availability could significantly speed tau 1 from ~25 to ~18 s. These values are remarkably similar to the tau 1 of ~19 s in the present study with an elevated baseline and the ~25-s tau 1 generally reported using a light or unloaded baseline (2-4, 8, 14, 24). It is possible that our elevated baseline facilitated a pretransition increase in oxygen availability for newly recruited motor units. A mechanism for this is illustrated by the elegant work of Segal and colleagues (for reviews, see Refs. 26 and 27), which has demonstrated local vasoactive metabolites may activate upstream vasodilation. Due to the structure of the capillary bed, this vasodilation increases oxygen availability to both active and inactive fibers. Should the inactive fibers be required for the subsequent increase in work rate, they would then have sufficient oxygen to rapidly accelerate oxidative metabolism, potentially speeding tau 1. However, there is variability among laboratories and subjects larger than the ~18- to ~25-s differences suggested here. Thus it is emphasized that these ideas are speculation only and deserve further research.

HR kinetics. The present results are consistent with the ability to slow HR kinetics by using an elevated baseline work rate (20, 21). The elevated baseline effectively removes the more rapid influence of the parasympathetic system (33).

The complexity of the HR response to heavy square-wave transitions has previously been observed (14, 18) and modeled into fast and slow components as in the present study (14). Engelen and colleagues (14) showed that HRtau 1 was slower than VO2tau 1 by ~15 s, although no statistical comparison was given. Significant dissociation of HRtau 1 (and presumably cardiac output tau 1) and VO2tau 1 in the present study emphasizes the importance of local blood flow control in matching oxygen demand and delivery during the nonsteady state.

Off-kinetics. Because the off-kinetics reduced to a monoexponential function, the two phases of the on-kinetics (the fast and slow phases) appear to have equivalent and coincident recovery profiles, at least to the extent that mathematical modeling could detect a difference in these subjects. The off-kinetics time delays and time constants were not different among the Mod and Hvy bouts.

A recent study with the use of unloaded pedaling as a baseline and designed to investigate this issue directly has also concluded that the off-kinetics of VO2 are "independent of the magnitude of the contribution to the slow phase from the on-transient kinetics" (10). These investigators found the off-kinetics well fit by including a slow phase, beginning with the fast phase, that had a small amplitude and large time constant. We did not find a slow phase component to the off-kinetics. The difference may be due to either the different baselines or the longer recovery time in the study of Cunningham and colleagues (10) (15 min vs. our 10 min). Because our elevated baseline is known to speed recovery (13), it is more likely that baseline work rate was the culprit. Thus the slow phase of recovery may be representative of metabolic processes still demanded at our moderate intensity and therefore not a part of the recovery profile in this study. Nevertheless, the two studies are in agreement that whatever causes the slow component appears to begin recovery immediately upon cessation of the exercise, recovers more rapidly than it developed and does so in parallel with the fast component of recovery.

In conclusion, repeated bouts of heavy exercise in this study resulted in a smaller MRT, mediated by an increase in the fast-component amplitude, similar fast-component time constant, and similar final steady state; systemic acidosis was not necessary for the faster MRT. HR (and presumably Q) kinetics may be slowed and dissociated from VO2 kinetics with a baseline of mild exercise. Most important, these data, in conjunction with previous research, are consistent with a role for local oxygen delivery limitation at the onset of heavy exercise transitions, which is not lifted by repeated bouts but may be reduced using a preparatory baseline of moderate exercise. A role for membrane potential, motor unit recruitment patterns, and pretransition vasodilation was proposed to underlie the VO2 kinetics.


    FOOTNOTES

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: R. J. Moffatt, 436 Sandels Bldg., Dept. of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (E-mail: rmoffatt{at}mailer.fsu.edu).

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

Received 16 May 2000; accepted in final form 16 January 2001.


    REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

1.   Bangsbo, J, Madsen K, Kiens B, and Richter EA. Effect of muscle acidity on muscle metabolism and fatigue during intense exercise in man. J Physiol (Lond) 495: 587-596, 1996[ISI][Medline].

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3.   Barstow, TJ, Jones AM, Nguyen PH, and Casaburi R. Influence of muscle fiber type and pedal frequency on oxygen uptake kinetics of heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 81: 1642-1650, 1996[Abstract/Free Full Text].

4.   Barstow, TJ, and Mole PA. Linear and nonlinear characteristics of oxygen uptake kinetics during heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 71: 2099-2106, 1991[Abstract/Free Full Text].

5.   Bearden, SE, and Moffatt RJ. VO2 kinetics and the O2 deficit in heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 88: 1407-1412, 2000[Abstract/Free Full Text].

6.  Bearden SE and Moffatt RJ. Leg electromyography and the VO2-power output relationship during incremental cycle ergometry. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2001. In press.

7.   Bohnert, B, Ward SA, and Whipp BJ. Effects of previous arm exercise on pulmonary gas exchange kinetics during high-intensity leg exercise in humans. Exp Physiol 83: 557-570, 1998[Abstract].

8.   Burnley, M, Jones AM, Carter H, and Doust JH. Effects of previous heavy exercise on phase II pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics during heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 89: 1387-1396, 2000[Abstract/Free Full Text].

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J APPL PHYSIOL 90(6):2081-2087
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