Abstract
Although self-efficacy (SE) is an important determinant of regular exercise, it is unclear how subjective and physiological states before, during, and after the exercise session affects post-exercise SE. The aim of this study was to clarify subjective and physiological factors affecting post-exercise SE assessed after a single exercise session at a physiologically equivalent level. Forty-three healthy volunteers (28 women, 15 men) completed an 82-min experimental session, comprising a 22-min pre-exercise rest, a 30-min steady-state cycling exercise at moderate intensity [40% of heart rate (HR) reserve], and a 30-min post-exercise rest. We measured physiological (HR) and subjective [Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Feeling Scale (FS)] states during the experimental session. Autonomic states were assessed by power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) during pre- and post-exercise rest. Post-exercise SE, which was the participants’ confidence in their ability to perform the 30-min exercise that they had just performed, was assessed at 30-min post-exercise. A stepwise multiple regression analysis, with post-exercise SE as the dependent variable and physiological and subjective measures of the exercise as candidate explanatory variables, showed that post-exercise SE was negatively correlated with RPE and positively correlated with FS at the end of the 30-min exercise. In addition, post-exercise SE was negatively correlated with high-frequency power of the post-exercise HRV, an index of parasympathetic function. These results indicate that post-exercise SE is related not only to subjective responses to the exercise but also to autonomic response after the exercise.
Highlights
The beneficial effects of exercise and physical activity on the development and maintenance of cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in most adults have been widely demonstrated (World Health Organization, 2010; Garber et al, 2011)
SE levels after the exercise increased (Katula et al, 1999; Pender et al, 2002) or decreased (Katula et al, 1999; Focht et al, 2007; Welch et al, 2010) compared with those before the exercise. This divergence was partly due to exercise intensity (Katula et al, 1999; Welch et al, 2010). These results indicated that exercise SE can be modified depending on individual subjective states during exercise, such as Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE; Borg, 1982) and Feeling Scale (FS; Hardy and Rejeski, 1989), and the exercise experience can result in a successful experience with high exercise SE or an unsuccessful experience with low exercise SE
Stepwise multiple regression results suggest that post-exercise SE at the end of the 30 min post-exercise period was mainly dependent on RPE and FS at the end of the exercise and on HFn.u. during post-exercise resting period
Summary
The beneficial effects of exercise and physical activity on the development and maintenance of cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in most adults have been widely demonstrated (World Health Organization, 2010; Garber et al, 2011). Regular exercise can clearly prevent many health problems, many find it difficult to adopt and adhere to prescribed exercise programs. This could be because, even when exercise intensity is defined at physiologically or selfselected equivalent levels, there are considerable inter-individual differences in physiological and subjective responses to exercise (Ekkekakis and Lind, 2006; Rose and Parfitt, 2007, 2010, 2012; Ekkekakis et al, 2009; DaSilva et al, 2011). McAuley et al (2003) demonstrated that individuals with high exercise SE following a 6-months exercise program reported high activity levels at the 6- and 18-months follow-ups. Factors affecting exercise SE must be revealed to enable the promotion of prescribed exercise programs
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