Effects of Priming and Pacing Strategy on Oxygen-Uptake Kinetics and Cycling Performance.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether combining prior "priming" exercise with an all-out pacing strategy is more effective at improving oxygen-uptake (VO2) kinetics and cycling performance than either intervention administered independently.


METHODS
Nine men completed target-work cycling performance trials using a self-paced or all-out pacing strategy with or without prior severe-intensity (70%Δ) priming exercise. Breath-by-breath pulmonary VO2 and cycling power output were measured during all trials.


RESULTS
Compared with the self-paced unprimed control trial (22 ± 5 s), the VO2 mean response time (MRT) was shorter (VO2 kinetics were faster) with all-out pacing (17 ± 4 s) and priming (17 ± 3 s), with the lowest VO2 MRT observed when all-out pacing and priming were combined (15 ± 4 s) (P < .05). However, total O2 consumed and end-exercise VO2 were only higher than the control condition in the primed trials (P < .05). Similarly, cycling performance was improved compared with control (98 ± 11 s) in the self-paced primed (93 ± 8 s) and all-out primed (92 ± 8 s) trials (P < .05) but not the all-out unprimed trial (97 ± 5 s; P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that combining an all-out start with severe-intensity priming exercise additively improves VO2 MRT but not total O2 consumption and cycling performance since these were improved by a similar magnitude in both primed trials relative to the self-paced unprimed control condition. Therefore, these results support the use of priming exercise as a precompetition intervention to improve oxidative metabolism and performance during short-duration high-intensity cycling exercise, independent of the pacing strategy adopted.
College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Devon, UK.
Stephen J
SJ
Bailey
Anni
A
Vanhatalo
Matthew I
MI
Black
Fred J
FJ
DiMenna
Andrew M
AM
Jones
D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011930:Reaction Time; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D063996:Warm-Up Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
D019344:Lactic Acid