Effects of exercise anticipation on cardiorespiratory responses before and after start of dynamic exercise at various intensities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise anticipation on time-dependent cardiorespiratory response preceding and after onset of dynamic exercise at various intensities. Experiments were conducted by two different groups of subjects; one group (N=11) for the experiment to test preparatory cardiorespiratory responses to exercise intensity (Exp.1), and the other group (N=15) for the experiment to test the effect of unexpected timing of high intensity exercise on the cardiorespiratory function (Exp.2). In Exp.1, the quantitative and temporal changes in cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses during pre-exercise resting periods changed over time, depending on the subsequent exercise intensity. In Exp.2, The initial increases in cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses after the onset of exercise under anticipation condition were significantly different from those under non-anticipation condition, and the difference in heart rate (HR) responses between the 2 conditions varied in a time-dependent manner. The time to exhaustion and initial HR increase after the start of high-intensity exercise under anticipation condition were higher than those under non-anticipation condition. A significant correlation was observed between percent change in time to exhaustion and percent change in HR in the anticipation condition versus the non-anticipation condition in each time before and after the start of exercise. Anticipatory control mechanisms of the cardiorespiratory system via the higher brain preceding exercise initiation may plays an important role in minimizing the time delay of circulatory response and metabolic cost after the onset of dynamic exercise, thereby enhancing physiological efficiency and maximal exercise performance during high-intensity exercise.