Stability of RPE Increase During Repeated Intermittent Sprints

The current investigation examined the potential teleoanticipatory effect on perceptual response during repeated bouts of maximal sprint work. To determine the consistency of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) increase during identical exercise bouts following variable recovery periods, 16 (8 men, 8 women) participants completed four separate trials of repeated maximal sprinting on 4 separate days utilizing different recovery periods. Following completion of the baseline trial, participants were given variable, counter-balanced recovery periods of 24, 48 and 72 hours, whereupon they repeated the intermittent exercise protocol. To determine the degree of similarity among trials, each individual's rate of RPE progression during each cycle of eight sprints throughout the recovery trials were compared to the rate of progression during the baseline exercise session. A series of 4 (trial) × 3 (cycle of sprints) repeated measures ANOVA were performed to identify significant main effects between trials and among cycles while session RPE was analyzed using one-way repeated measures ANOVA. Fisher's least significant difference post-hoc procedures were performed to identify where significant differences occurred when appropriate. Results revealed an inconsistency in the stability of RPE across repeated bouts of sprint exercise, with at least 50% of individuals having a substantial difference in RPE (i.e. ± 1 unit change) in at least one subsequent trial. These variations in perceptual responses were observed despite a concomitant stability of physiological and performance responses between sessions. Results suggest that rate of RPE increase correspond more closely to increased or decreased physiologic strain than to an anticipatory, feed-forward mechanism following variable recovery durations.