Comparison of oxygen uptake kinetics during concentric and eccentric cycle exercise

Abstract

O2 uptake (V˙o 2) kinetics and electromyographic (EMG) activity from the vastus medialis, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and medial gastrocnemius muscles were studied during constant-load concentric and eccentric cycling. Six healthy men performed transitions from baseline to high-intensity eccentric (HE) exercise and to high-intensity (HC), moderate-intensity (MC), and low-intensity (LC) concentric exercise. For HE and HC exercise, absolute work rate was equivalent. For HE and LC exercise,V˙o 2 was equivalent.V˙o 2 data were fit by a two- or three-component exponential model. Surface EMG was recorded during the last 12 s of each minute of exercise to obtain integrated EMG and mean power frequency. Only in the HC exercise didV˙o 2 increase progressively with evidence of a slow component ( phase 3), and only in HC exercise was there evidence of a coincident increase with time in integrated EMG of the vastus medialis and rectus femoris muscles ( P < 0.05) with no change in mean power frequency. The phase 2time constant was slower in HC [24.0 ± 1.7 (SE) s] than in HE (14.7 ± 2.8 s) and LC (16.7 ± 2.2 s) exercise, while it was not different from MC exercise (20.6 ± 2.1 s). These results show that the rate of increase inV˙o 2 at the onset of exercise was not different between HE and LC exercise, where the metabolic demand was similar, but both had significantly faster kinetics forV˙o 2 than HC exercise. TheV˙o 2 slow component might be related to increased muscle activation, which is a function of metabolic demand and not absolute work rate.