Influence of the Type of Training Sport Practised on Psychological and Physiological Parameters during Exhausting Endurance Exercises

Abstract

The present purpose was to study the influence of the type of training sport practised (long distance running, sprinting, handball) on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), estimation of time limit (ETL), and heart rate (HR) on running tests. It was hypothesised that these parameters would be related to the type of training sport practised. 31 trained women (10 endurance-trained runners, 10 sprinters, and 11 handball players) performed two exercises to exhaustion on an outdoor track. The first test was a graded run to estimate maximal aerobic speed (S_MA), i.e., the minimal speed which elicited maximal oxygen uptake. The second test was a constant all-out run at speed delta 50 (S_Δ50), which corresponded to the speed halfway between S_MA and the speed at lactate threshold (S_LT), to specify time to exhaustion at this intensity (T_LIM). Sensations regarding RPE, ETL, and HR were recorded during these tests. S_MA, S_Δ50, and S_LT, expressed in absolute values (km · hr.⁻¹) were statistically significantly different between groups (p<.05) whereas T_LIM was not. The covariance analysis showed that endurance-trained runners perceived the exercise as lighter and presented lower HR than handball players and sprinters for a same running %S_MA (p<.05). Moreover, endurance-trained runners felt that they could endure more than the other groups at a given %S_MA or relative exhaustion time (%T_LIM). These results mean that the type of training sport which has been performed may mediate perceptual responses and influence physiological parameters during exhausting exercises. These results are likely in part related to sport-specificity of the exercise mode used in tests. This point must be taken into consideration by physical trainers who have to prescribe exercise intensities during athletic seasons for different groups of athletes.