The Ratio HLa : RPE as a Tool to Appreciate Overreaching in Young High-Level Middle-Distance Runners

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to study the effects of eight weeks of intensive training at the beginning of the athletic season on perceived exertion and on the ratio of blood lactate concentration to ratings of perceived exertion (HLa : RPE) in young runners. Eight high-level middle-distance runners performed two exhausting exercises on an indoor track before and after eight weeks of training. The first test was an incremental exercise to determine their maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2) max), the velocity associated with VO(2) max (vVO(2) max), the velocity of the lactate concentration threshold (vLT) and the velocity delta 50 (vDelta50 : the velocity halfway between vVO(2) max and vLT). The second test was a constant-load all-out run at vDelta50 to determine the time to exhaustion at this intensity (tlim vDelta50). There were five training sessions a week with interval training twice a week. After eight weeks of training, vVO(2) max, vLT and tlim vDelta50 were not significantly different. The athletes perceived exercise as being harder after training than before at a same given relative velocity in the incremental test. During the all-out run at vDelta50, they felt that, at the same given relative time, they could endure less after than before training. Moreover, the HLa : RPE ratio was significantly lower after intensive interval-training performed immediately after the holidays. Consequently, two interval-training sessions per week would induce an overreaching state that is not yet characterized by a decrease in performance and physiological values whereas perceived exertion (RPE, ETL) and especially the HLa : RPE ratio allows the detection of changes in young high-level middle-distance runners.

Sex-Related Differences in Ratings of Perceived Exertion and Estimated Time Limit

“…It implies that there was a close relationship between hardness and exhaustion time during exercises to exhaustion, whatever the sex. Such a result has been already mentioned in previous research during incremental exercise after training [15]. This means that although RPE and ETL do not give the same information, they are probably mediated by the same factors.…”

“…According to the performances of these athletes, the initial velocity was set at 14 km · h -1 and was increased by one km · h -1 every three minutes until 17 km · h -1 was attained [15]. Each stage was separated by a 30-s rest period.…”

The Influence of Karate Practice Level and Sex on Physiological and Perceptual Responses in Three Modern Karate Training Modalities

“…This decline in the [La - ]/RPE ratio was explained by a reduction in [La - ], whereas RPE remained stable. More recently, Garcin et al [14] confirmed this result in high-level middle-distance runners. It may therefore be interesting to use the [La - ]/RPE ratio to help detect overreaching or overtraining in modern karate, but further studies must first be conducted.…”

Spanish Adaptation and Analysis by Structural Equation Modeling of an Instrument for Monitoring Overtraining: The Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (Restq-Sport)

“…Perception of effort, mood states and several behavioral indicators have been proven to be affected by overtraining and hence are the psychological constructs that have most often been taken into account in the evaluation of overtraining. Garcin, Fleury, and Billat (2002), using the Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE; Borg, 1970), found that overtrained subjects had a perception of greater effort than individuals who were not overtrained. However, the effectiveness of using scales that measure effort in isolation for the diagnosis of overtraining has been questioned (Urhausen & Kindermann, 2002).…”