Performance and Recovery of Well-Trained Younger and Older Athletes during Different HIIT Protocols

Due to physiological and morphological differences, younger and older athletes may recover differently from training loads. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocols are useful for studying the progression of recovery. It was the objective of this study to determine age differences in performance and recovery following different HIIT protocols. Methods: 12 younger (24.5 ± 3.7 years) and 12 older (47.3 ± 8.6 years) well-trained cyclists and triathletes took part in this study. Between the age groups there were no significant differences in relative peak power to fat-free mass, maximal heart rate (HR), training volume, and VO2max-percentiles (%). Participants performed different HIIT protocols consisting of 4 × 30 s Wingate tests with different active rest intervals (1, 3, or 10 min). Peak and average power, lactate, HR, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), subjective rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and recovery (Total Quality Recovery scale, TQR) were assessed. Results: During the different HIIT protocols, metabolic, cardiovascular, and subjective recovery were similar between the two groups. No significant differences were found in average lactate concentration, peak and average power, fatigue (%), %HRmax, RER, RPE, and TQR values between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that recovery following HIIT does not differ between the two age groups. Furthermore, older and younger participants displayed similar lactate kinetics after the intermittent exercise protocols

Commentaries on viewpoint : physiology and fast marathons

Q2Q1N/

Optimizing sprint interval exercise for post-exercise hypotension: A randomized crossover trial

This study aimed to examine the effects of manipulating the rest intervals during sprint interval training (SIT) on post-exercise hypotension and within-session oxygen consumption. Thirty healthy, trained adults (aged 30.9 ± 8.7 years; 14 males, 16 females; BMI 22.1 ± 2.3 kg/m2; VO2max 50.7 ± 7.8 ml/kg/min) completed two different SIT protocols (4x 30-seconds all-out cycling sprints) with a one-week washout period. Sprint bouts were separated by either 1 (R1) or 3 (R3) minutes of active recovery. Both before and throughout the 45 min after the training, peripheral systolic (pSBP) and diastolic (pDBP) blood pressure, central systolic (cSBP) and diastolic (cDBP) blood pressure, aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), stroke volume (SV), and heart rate (HR) were assessed. Throughout the SIT protocols, oxygen consumption (VO2) was monitored. There were no significant differences in time spent at 75%, 85%, 95%, and 100% of maximal VO2 between R1 and R3. After R3, there was a significant reduction in pSBP, pDBP, cSBP, cDBP, and aPWV. After R1, there were no changes in the respective parameters. There were significant interaction effects in pSBD (p < 0.001), pDBP (p < 0.001), cSBP (p < 0.001), cDBP (p = 0.001), and aPWV (p = 0.033). HR significantly increased after both conditions. Only R1 resulted in a significant reduction in SV. Longer resting intervals during SIT bouts seem to result in more substantial post-exercise hypotension effects. Time spent at a high percentage of maximal VO2 was not affected by rest interval manipulation

Comparing Post-Exercise Hypotension after Different Sprint Interval Training Protocols in a Matched Sample of Younger and Older Adults

This study assessed the post-exercise hypotension (PEH) effect in a sample of matched young and older adults after different sprint interval training (SIT) protocols. From forty-three participants enrolled in this study, twelve younger (24 ± 3 years) and 12 older (50 ± 7 years) participants, matched for the body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and VO2max-percentiles, were selected. The participants completed two SIT protocols consisting of 4 × 30 s exercise bouts interspersed by either one (SIT1) or three minutes (SIT3) of active rest. The peripheral systolic (pSBP) and diastolic (pDBP) blood pressure, central systolic (cSBP) and diastolic (cDBP) blood pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and heart rate (HR) were obtained before and at different measurement time points (t5, t15, t30, t45) after the exercise. No significant time × group interactions were detected in pSBP (p = 0.242, η² = 0.060), pDBP (p = 0.379, η² = 0.046), cSBP (p = 0.091, η² = 0.861), cDBP (p = 0.625, η² = 0.033), PWV (p = 0.133, η² = 0.076), and HR (p = 0.190, η² = 0.123) after SIT1. For SIT3 no significant time × group interactions could be detected for pSBP (p = 0.773, η² = 0.020), pDBP (p = 0.972, η² = 0.006), cSBP (p = 0.239, η² = 0.060), cDBP (p = 0.535, η² = 0.036), PWV (p = 0.402, η² = 0.044), and HR (p = 0.933, η² = 0.009). Matched samples of young and older adults reveal similar PEH effects after HIIT. Accordingly, age does not seem to affect PEH after SIT. These results show that rest interval length and age modulate the PEH effect after SIT

Commentary: Vagal tank theory: the three Rs of cardiac vagal control functioning

A Commentary on Vagal Tank Theory: The Three Rs of Cardiac Vagal Control Functioning – Resting, Reactivity, and Recovery / by Laborde, S., Mosley, E., and Mertgen, A. (2018). Front. Neurosci. 12:458. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.0045

Performance Changes and Recovery Time in U20 and Older Handball Players after a High-Intensity Sprint Exercise

This study used a single bout of repeated high-intensity sprint exercise as a variable to compare the performance and recovery time of handball players within a typical age range for team sport athletes. Two test groups (U20 players, n = 12, mean age = 18 years; senior players, n = 17, mean age = 27 years) were observed during and after their performance of a high-intensity interval exercise consisting of four sets of 6 × 40 m all-out change-of-direction sprints. U20 players outperformed senior players in all sprint sets. The groups’ physiological responses and perceived exertion and stress levels were measured immediately before and after the exercise and also after 24, 48, and 72 h. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed no interaction effects between age and measurement time points on jump height, muscle soreness, and perceived stress levels after the high-intensity interval exercise. However, the U20 athletes showed marginally, but not statistically significant lower creatine kinase (CK) values than the seniors 72 h after the exercise. The vagal heart rate variability (HRV) parameter rMSSD indicated a faster recovery for the U20 athletes compared to the senior players 24 h after the sprint intervals. Overall, the results demonstrate that repeated sprint intervals do not differently affect the physical performance ability (i.e., jump height) of U20 and senior players. Single parameters related to the players’ ability to recover, such as CK and HRV values, show some variations as a function of age. Based on this, coaches may want to consider a longer recovery period after a high-intensity exercise for senior players compared to younger ones

Utilizing heart rate variability for coaching athletes during and after viral infection

$\bf Background:$ Viral diseases have different individual progressions and can lead to considerable risks/long-term consequences. Therefore, it is not suitable to give general recommendations on a time off from training for athletes. This case report aims to investigate the relevance of detecting heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) during an orthostatic test (OT) to monitor the progression and recovery process during and after a viral disease in an elite endurance athlete. $\bf Methods:$ A 30-year-old elite marathon runner contracted a viral infection (upper respiratory tract infection) 4 weeks after a marathon race. RR intervals in HR time series in supine and standing positions were monitored daily in the morning. Analyzed parameters included HR, the time-domain HRV parameter root mean square of successive difference (RMSSD), peak HR (HRpeak) in a standing position, and the time to HR peak (tHRpeak). $\bf Results:$ During the 6-day viral infection period, HR increased significantly by an average of 11 bpm in the supine position and by 22 bpm in the standing position. In addition, the RMSSD decreased from 20.8 to 4.2 ms, the HRpeak decreased by 13 bpm, and the tHRpeak increased by 18 s in the standing position significantly. There were no significant changes in the pre-viral infection RMSSD values in the supine position. The viral infection led to a significant change in HR and HRV parameters. The cardiac autonomic system reacted more sensitively in the standing position compared to the supine position after a viral infection in the present case study. $\bf Conclusion:$ These data have provided supportive rationale as to why the OT with a change from supine to standing body position and the detection of different indicators based on HR and a vagal driven time-domain HRV parameter (RMSSD) is likely to be useful to detect viral diseases early on when implemented in daily routine. Given the case study nature of the findings, future research has to be conducted to investigate whether the use of the OT might be able to offer an innovative, non-invasive, and time-efficient possibility to detect and evaluate the health status of (elite endurance) athletes

Age- and Sex-Related Differences in Recovery From High-Intensity and Endurance Exercise: A Brief Review

Postexercise recovery is a fundamental component for continuous performance enhancement. Due to physiological and morphological changes in aging and alterations in performance capacity, athletes of different ages may recover at different rates from physical exercise. Differences in body composition, physiological function, and exercise performance between men and women may also have a direct influence on restoration processes. Purpose: This brief review examines current research to indicate possible differences in recovery processes between male and female athletes of different age groups. The paper focuses on postexercise recovery following sprint and endurance tests and tries to identify determinants that modulate possible differences in recovery between male and female subjects of different age groups. Results: The literature analysis indicates age- and sex-dependent differences in short- and long-term recovery. Short-term recovery differs among children, adults, and masters. Children have shorter lactate half-life and a faster cardiac and respiratory recovery compared to adults. Additionally, children and masters require shorter recovery periods during interval bouts than trained adults. Trained women show a slower cardiac and respiratory recovery compared to trained men. Long-term recovery is strongly determined by the extent of muscle damage. Trained adults tend to have more extensive muscle damage compared to masters and children. Conclusion: The influence of age and sex on the recovery process varies among the different functional systems and depends on the time of the recovery processes. Irrespective of age and sex, the performance capacity of the individual determines the recovery process after high-intensity and endurance exercise