Acute Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Responses to Incremental Cycling Exercise in Endurance- and Strength-Trained Athletes

Simple Summary The multiple structural and functional adaptive changes vary depending on the mode of training. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of progressive submaximal cycling on selected cardiorespiratory and metabolic variables in endurance- and strength-trained athletes. The sample comprised participants with different training background: endurance trained group (triathletes), strength trained group (bodybuilders), and a control group (recreationally active students). The research problem was based on the verification of the minor non-specific cardiometabolic responses in strength and endurance trained athletes during a progressive submaximal cycling exercise test. The substantive finding of this study was that endurance- and strengthtrained athletes differed only in the metabolic responses of respiratory exchange ratio and blood lactate concentration, whereas the acute cardiorespiratory variables did not demonstrate any statistically relevant differences. Based on our findings we recommend that endurance-trained athletes follow a concurrent training program, combined strength and endurance training, to improve neuromuscular parameters and thus optimize their economy of movement and endurance-specific muscle power capacity. Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a progressive submaximal cycling exercise on selected cardiorespiratory and metabolic variables in endurance and strength trained athletes. The sample comprised 32 participants aged 22.0 ± 0.54 years who were assigned into three groups: an endurance trained group (END, triathletes, n = 10), a strength trained group (STR, bodybuilders, n = 10), and a control group (CON, recreationally active students, n = 12). The incremental cycling exercise was performed using a progressive protocol starting with a 3 min resting measurement and then a 50 W workload with subsequent constant increments of 50 W every 3 min until 200 W. The following cardiometabolic variables were evaluated: heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and blood lactate (BLa−). We found the between-group differences in metabolic variables (the average RER and BLa−) were statistically significant (Tukey’s HSD test: CON vs. STR, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively; CON vs. END, p < 0.001; END vs. STR, p < 0.001). RER and BLa– differences in all groups depended on the workload level (G-G-epsilon = 0.438; p < 0.004 and G-G-epsilon = 0.400; p < 0.001, respectively). There were no significant differences in cardiorespiratory variables between endurance- and strength-trained groups. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that acute cardiorespiratory responses at each of the four submaximal workloads were comparable in endurance- compared to strength-trained athletes, but significantly different compared to recreationally active men. However, there were significant differences in the metabolic responses of RER and BLa−. Based on our findings we recommend that endurance-trained athletes follow a concurrent training program, combined strength and endurance training, to improve neuromuscular parameters and thus optimize their economy of movement and endurance-specific muscle power capacity.