Succi, PJ, Dinyer-McNeely, TK, Voskuil, CC, Abel, MG, Clasey, JL, and Bergstrom, HC. Responses to exercise at the critical heart rate vs. the power output associated with the critical heart rate. J Strength Cond Res 37(12): 2362-2372, 2023-This study examined the physiological (volume of oxygen consumption [V Ȯ2 ], heart rate [HR], power output [PO], respiration rate [RR], muscle oxygen saturation [%SmO 2 ]), neuromuscular (electromyographic and mechanomyographic amplitude [EMG AMP and MMG AMP] and mean power frequency [EMG MPF and MMG MPF]), and perceptual (rating of perceived exertion [RPE]) responses during exercise anchored at the critical heart rate (CHR) vs. the PO associated with CHR (PCHR). Nine subjects (mean 6 SD; age 5 26 6 3 years) performed a graded exercise test and 4 constant PO trials to exhaustion at 85-100% of peak PO (PP) to derive CHR and PCHR on a cycle ergometer. Responses were recorded during trials at CHR (173 6 9 b•min 21 , time to exhaustion [T Lim ] 5 45.5 6 20.2 minutes) and PCHR (198 6 58 W, T Lim 5 21.0 6 17.8 minutes) and normalized to their respective values at PP in 10% intervals. There were significant (p # 0.05) mode (CHR vs. PCHR) 3 time (10%-100% T Lim ) interactions for all variables (p , 0.001-0.036) except MMG AMP (p . 0.05). Post hoc analyses indicated differences across time for CHR V Ȯ2 (%change 5 222 6 16%), PCHR