AFFECTIVE, PERCEPTUAL, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS TO REPEATED BOUTS OF HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING

Abstract

1258 This study examined affective, perceptual, and physiological adaptations to repeated bouts of high-intensity interval training (INT). Male competitive cyclists ( N = 8) performed seven INT sessions (10 x 2 min. @ 90% VO2max) during a three-week period which consisted of baseline, training, and recovery weeks. Five consecutive INT sessions were performed during the training week; one INT session was completed during each of the baseline and recovery weeks. Feeling Scale (FS), Rate of Perceived Exertion(RPE), and Heart Rate (HR) responses were recorded after each interval during the INT sessions. Repeated measures ANOVAs indicated that FS, RPE, and HR scores differed across the seven INT sessions (all ps <.0001). Tukey-HSD post hoc tests indicated that FS scores were significantly more positive during recovery than all other INT sessions; RPE and HR values were significantly lower during the recovery than the baseline INT session. TableTableIn conclusion, the changes observed in FS, RPE, and HR suggest that both psychological and physiological adaptations may be associated with relatively short periods of high-intensity training.