| This
study examined the effect of recovery time on the maintenance of power
output and the heart rate response during repeated maximal rowing
exercise. Nine male, junior rowers (age: 16 ± 1 years; body mass:
74.0 ± 9.1 kg; height: 1.78 ± 0.03 m) performed two consecutive all-out
1000 m bouts on a rowing ergometer on three separate occasions. The
rest interval between the two bouts was 1.5 (INT1.5), 3 (INT3) and
6 min (INT6), allocated in random order. Power output was averaged
for each 1000 m bout and for the first and last 500 m of each bout.
Heart rate kinetics were determined using a two-component exponential
model. Performance time and mean power output for the first bout was
209 ± 3 s and 313 ± 10 W respectively. Recovery of mean power output
was incomplete even after 6 min (78 ± 2, 81 ± 2 and 84 ± 2 % for INT1.5,
INT3 and INT6 respectively). Mean power output after INT6 was higher
(p < 0.01) only compared with INT1.5. Power output during the first
500 m of bout 2 after INT6 was 10% higher compared with the second
500 m. During INT1.5 and INT3 power output during the first and the
second 500 m of bout 2 was similar. Peak heart rate (~197 b·min-1)
and the HR time constant (~13 s) were unaffected by prior exercise
and recovery time. However, when the recovery was short (INT1.5),
HR during the first 50 s of bout 2 was significantly higher compared
with corresponding values during bout 1. The present study has shown
that in order to maintain similar power outputs during repeated maximal
rowing exercise, the recovery interval must be greater than 6 min.
The influence of a longer recovery time (INT6) on maintenance of power
output was only evident during the first half of the second 1000 m
bout.
KEY
WORDS: Interval training, maintenance of power output.
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