Exercising with reserve: evidence that the central nervous system regulates prolonged exercise performance

Swart, Jeroen; Lamberts, Robert P.; Lambert, Mike; Gibson, A. St Clair; Lambert, Estelle V.; Skowno, Justin; Noakes, Timothy D.

doi:10.1136/bjsm.2008.055889

Cited by 90 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…The most promising ones include methylphenidate [43], already used for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [44], and modafinil. The latter is used off-label by many healthy people to reduce mental fatigue and sleepiness [45], and enhance cognition [46].…”

Section: Caffeine and Other Psychoactive Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Doping be a Good Thing? Using Psychoactive Drugs to Facilitate Physical Activity Behaviour

Marcora

2015

Sports Med

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Section: Caffeine and Other Psychoactive Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Doping be a Good Thing? Using Psychoactive Drugs to Facilitate Physical Activity Behaviour

Marcora

2015

Sports Med

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“…Therefore an athlete's absolute physiological capabilities are not reached and performance is thus not representative of a true maximal effort. The need for evidence to support the existence of this metabolic reserve at the completion of exercise consequently provides a rationale for the investigation into how this reserve can be accessed [4,30,31] . Obtaining an effort that is closer to maximal, by tapping into an athlete's true physiological capabilities, is of interest in order to help validate the model, improve performance and allow a more accurate comparability and consistency between competitive performances [32,33] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological and Psychological Effects of Deception on Pacing Strategy and Performance: A Review

et al. 2013

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The aim of an optimal pacing strategy during exercise is to enhance performance whilst ensuring physiological limits are not surpassed, which has been shown to result in a metabolic reserve at the end of the exercise. There has been debate surrounding the theoretical models that have been proposed to explain how pace is regulated, with more recent research investigating a central control of exercise regulation. Deception has recently emerged as a common, practical approach to manipulate key variables during exercise. There are a number of ways in which deception interventions have been designed, each intending to gain particular insights into pacing behaviour and performance. Deception methodologies can be conceptualised according to a number of dimensions such as deception timing (prior to or during exercise); presentation frequency (blind, discontinuous or continuous); and type of deception (performance, biofeedback or environmental feedback). However research evidence on the effects of deception has been perplexing and the use of complex designs and varied methodologies makes it difficult to draw any definitive conclusions about how pacing strategy and performance are affected by deception.This review examines existing research in the area of deception and pacing strategies, and provides a critical appraisal of the different methodological approaches used to date. It is hoped that this critical analysis will inform the direction and methodology of future investigations in this area by addressing the mechanisms through which deception impacts upon performance and by elucidating the potential application of deception techniques in training and competitive settings.

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“…However, it is important to emphasise that in both trials, EMG activity tracked power output with a continual decline from the start to the termination of exercise, indicating that work rate was regulated by central rather than peripheral mechanisms. In both the present study and the study by Swart et al (2009), measured EMG activity did not exceed 45% of the recorded during a pre-exercise MVC.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Although the study by Swart et al (2009) does provide evidence that muscular work rate during this type of exercise bout is regulated by the CNS, it would seem plausible that manipulation of physiological status will also influence muscular performance during exercise at a fixed rating of RPE. If the conscious RPE is indeed generated as a result of afferent feedback from the peripheral physiology (Tucker, 2009), then ingestion of a peripherally acting substance would be expected to alter the nature of this feedback and therefore the work rate at the same conscious level of exertion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This greater rate of decline in exercise intensity was accompanied by similar rates of heat storage in both hot VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 3| 2013 | 822 and cold environments, thereby supporting the assertion that exercise intensity is regulated in an anticipatory manner prior to the development of any physiological 'catastrophe'. Swart et al (2009) also used the RPE clamp method to examine the effects of ingestion of a centrally acting stimulant (methylphenidate) on CNS regulation of exercise intensity. Following methylphenidate ingestion, participants cycled for 32% longer before power output fell to 70% of starting values, despite displaying higher power outputs, VO2's, heart rates, and blood lactate concentrations at the equivalent time at which exercise was terminated in the placebo trials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exercise performance and neuromuscular activity at a fixed level of RPE following manipulation of peripheral physiological status

Browne¹,

Renfree²

2013

JHSE

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Browne, S. & Renfree, A. (2013). Exercise performance and neuromuscular activity at a fixed level of RPE following manipulation of peripheral physiological status. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 8(3), pp.820-828. PURPOSE: to analyse the effect of manipulation of peripheral physiological status on performance and neuromuscular activity during cycling at a fixed level of RPE. METHODS: following familiarisation trials, seven well trained individuals completed two exercise trials following ingestion of 0.2g.kg-1 NaHCO3 or a CaCO3 placebo which were performed in a randomised and blind manner. During exercise participants were required to cycle at exercise intensity equivalent to their perception of an RPE of 16 on the Category Ratio Scale. Blood pH was measured pre-and post-exercise, and power output, EMG activity in the active musculature, and heart rate were recorded continuously throughout exercise. Exercise was terminated when power output fell below 80% of the average recorded over the first 3 minutes of each trial. RESULTS: pre-exercise pH was higher following NaHCO3 ingestion, but post-exercise values did not differ between NaHCO3 and placebo trials. Exercise duration was 21% longer following NaHCO3 than the placebo, but no significant differences were found in power output or heart rate between trials at any point. EMG activity was higher throughout NaHCO3 trials. CONCLUSIONS: the findings of this study suggest that NaHCO3 ingestion enhanced exercise duration by allowing an increased volume of exercise to be performed prior to individuals reaching individual critical threshold values for pH. Lower neuromuscular activity despite a similar power output following NaHCO3 suggests that perceptions of effort may be based on absolute work rates rather than afferent physiological feedback, and that the work rate is achieved through regulation of efferent neural drive.

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Exercising with reserve: evidence that the central nervous system regulates prolonged exercise performance

Cited by 90 publications

References 51 publications

Can Doping be a Good Thing? Using Psychoactive Drugs to Facilitate Physical Activity Behaviour

Can Doping be a Good Thing? Using Psychoactive Drugs to Facilitate Physical Activity Behaviour

Physiological and Psychological Effects of Deception on Pacing Strategy and Performance: A Review

Exercise performance and neuromuscular activity at a fixed level of RPE following manipulation of peripheral physiological status

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