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Effects of Aging on Cardiorespiratory Responses to Brief and Intense Intermittent Exercise in Endurance-Trained Athletes

^a Laboratoire de Recherches "APS et Conduites Motrices: Adaptations–Réadaptations, " Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens Cedex, France
^b Laboratoire de Physiologie des Interactions, CHU A. de Villeneuve, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
^c Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
^d Centre de Réadaptation Cardiaque, Hôpital de Corbie, France

Decision Editor: Jay Roberts, PhD

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aging on athletes' cardiorespiratory responses to a brief intense intermittent effort, using the force-velocity test as an exercise model. Twelve young athletes (24.8 ± 1.3 years) and twelve master athletes (65.1 ± 1.2 years) with similar heights, body masses, and endurance training schedules participated in this study. They performed both a maximal graded exercise and the force-velocity tests. The force-velocity test consisted of the repetition of 6-second sprints against increasing braking forces with 5-minute recovery periods. None of the subjects presented abnormal electrocardiogram responses to the tests. During the force-velocity test, the heart rate magnitudes of response in all subjects were correlated to the corresponding sprint power output ( p < .001), with higher values for the young athletes ( p < .001). Both groups had similar systolic blood pressure peaks of response during the force-velocity test. Both groups had similar preexercise and end-of-recovery oxygen consumption (O₂), but the young athletes had higher peaks of response ( p < .001). The O₂ magnitudes of response increased during the test ( p < .01) in all subjects, with higher values for the young athletes ( p < .001). There was a positive correlation between the O₂ magnitude of response and ⁽¹⁾ the corresponding sprint power output (R = .58, p < .001) and ⁽²⁾ the corresponding number of sprint repetitions (R = .29, p < .02). The young athletes had higher end-of-recovery and peak carbon dioxide production (CO₂) responses than the master athletes ( p < .001). Pulmonary ventilation (V_E) peaks of response to the sprints were higher in the young athletes ( p < .001). There was a positive relation between the V_E and CO₂ peaks of response (R = .84, p < .001). In both groups the peak heart rate, O₂, CO₂, and V_E values attained during the force-velocity test represented similar percentages of the maximal values reached at exhaustion of maximal graded exercise. These results showed that aging does not alter the percentage of the cardiorespiratory response to a brief intense intermittent exercise such as the force-velocity test. Moreover, the arterial blood pressure response is not significantly altered, whereas the vasodilatatory response is.