June 30, 2022Journal of Applied Physiology
Neuromuscular and perceptual mechanisms of fatigue accompanying task failure in response to moderate-, heavy-, severe-, and extreme-intensity cycling
Key Points
- To determine the extent of peripheral and central neuromuscular fatigue and accompanying perceptual attributes at task failure across moderate-, heavy-, severe-, and extreme-intensity cycling domains.
- Assessed 11 young males performing four constant-power cycling trials to the limit of tolerance across moderate, heavy, severe, and extreme intensity workloads following a ramp-incremental test.
- Quantified peripheral and central fatigue before and after trials using 5-second knee-extension maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) paired with femoral nerve electrical stimulation.
- Recorded perceptual measures at task failure, including ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), leg pain, dyspnea, and global fatigue.
- Reductions in MVC at task failure were independent of intensity (P > 0.05), but peripheral fatigue was significantly greater after extreme and severe cycling and progressively lower following heavy and moderate cycling (P < 0.05).
- Central fatigue was absent following extreme-intensity cycling (P < 0.05) but occurred to a similar extent after severe, heavy, and moderate exercise.
- Perceived effort was maximal following heavy, severe, and extreme cycling but not moderate cycling, with leg pain and dyspnea increasing at higher intensities, whereas global fatigue ratings were higher at lower intensities.
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Implication
Experimental study reveals intensity-dependent peripheral fatigue and sensory profiles at task failure in healthy young men, indicating that exercise intensity dictates exhaustion pathways.
Cite This Study
Iannetta et al. (2022) studied this question.