Effect of different work-to-rest ratios during simulated taekwondo combat on blood lactate, heart rate and perceptual responses in elite taekwondo athletes: a randomized crossover trial

This study investigated the effects of different work-to-rest (W: R) ratios during simulated taekwondo combat on physiological and perceptual responses in elite athletes. Twenty male taekwondo athletes participated in a randomized cross-over study involving three combat conditions: free combat (self-paced), 2:1 (20s work:10s rest), and 1:2 (10s work:20s rest). Measurements included blood lactate (bLA), heart rate (HR), countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and acute perceived muscle soreness (APMS). Results indicated that the W: R ratios significantly influenced bLA accumulation ( p = 0.04), with the 2:1 condition producing the highest post-combat levels, followed by free combat and the 1:2 condition. CMJ performance decreased significantly from pre- to post-combat across all conditions ( p < 0.001). No significant differences were found for HR, RPE, or APMS responses across the different W: R ratios. The findings suggest that manipulating W: R ratios in training specifically impacts the glycolytic demand, with longer work periods relative to rest (2:1) eliciting the greatest anaerobic metabolic stress. However, neuromuscular fatigue and perceptual responses appear to be more closely tied to the overall high-intensity, intermittent nature of taekwondo combat rather than the specific W: R ratio, possibly due to the high fitness level of elite athletes. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07395414 (Retrospectively registered), 09/02/2026.