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Broxterman RM, Ade CJ, Craig JC, Wilcox SL, Schlup SJ, Barstow TJ. Influence of blood flow occlusion on muscle oxygenation characteristics and the parameters of the power-duration relationship. J Appl Physiol 118: 880 -889, 2015. First published February 6, 2015 doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00875.2014.-It was previously (Monod H, Scherrer J. Ergonomics 8: 329 -338, 1965 postulated that blood flow occlusion during exercise would reduce critical power (CP) to 0 Watts (W), while not altering the curvature constant (W=). We empirically assessed the influence of blood flow occlusion on CP, W=, and muscle oxygenation characteristics. Ten healthy men (age: 24.8 Ϯ 2.6 yr; height: 180 Ϯ 5 cm; weight: 84.6 Ϯ 10.1 kg) completed four constant-power handgrip exercise tests during both control blood flow (control) and blood flow occlusion (occlusion) for the determination of the power-duration relationship. Occlusion CP (Ϫ0.7 Ϯ 0.4 W) was significantly (P Ͻ 0.001) lower than control CP (4.1 Ϯ 0.7 W) and significantly (P Ͻ 0.001) lower than 0 W. Occlusion W= (808 Ϯ 155 J) was significantly (P Ͻ 0.001) different from control W= (558 Ϯ 129 J), and all 10 subjects demonstrated an increased occlusion W= with a mean increase of ϳ49%. The present findings support the aerobic nature of CP. The findings also demonstrate that the amount of work that can be performed above CP is constant for a given condition, but can vary across conditions. Moreover, this amount of work that can be performed above CP does not appear to be the determinant of W=, but rather a consequence of the depletion of intramuscular energy stores and/or the accumulation of fatigue-inducing metabolites, which limit exercise tolerance and determine W=. critical power; curvature constant; oxygen delivery; muscle ischemia THE ROBUST NATURE OF THE power-duration relationship (and its equivalents for other modes of exercise) has been well established (26, 27, 52). Nevertheless, the precise physiological mechanisms of the curvature constant (W=), and to a lesser degree critical power (CP), have remained elusive. The growing body of evidence supports that CP represents the highest attainable steady state for aerobic energy production without continually drawing on W= and, as such, demarcates the boundary between the heavy-and severe-intensity exercise domains (4,12,38,39,42,51). It is also evident that W= is a constant term that determines the limit of exercise tolerance (T lim ) for severe-intensity exercise (21, 55). Intramuscular energy stores (35,36,38), the accumulation of fatigue-inducing metabolites (7,18,21,28), and/or the magnitude of the severe-intensity domain (5, 51) have all been postulated to determine W=. Building evidence supports that complete utilization of W= is associated with consistent muscle phosphocreatine ([PCr]), inorganic phosphate ([P i ]), and hydrogen ion concentration ([H ϩ ]) perturbations, which may limit the amount of work performed above CP (28,43,51). Additionally, the rate of W= utilization (but not the magnitude of W=) is influenced by mani...

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The sustainable duration of severe intensity exercise is well‐predicted by critical power (CP) and the curvature constant (W′). The development of the W′BAL model allows for the pattern of W′ expenditure and reconstitution to be characterized and this model has been applied to intermittent exercise protocols. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the influence of relaxation phase duration and exercise intensity on W′ reconstitution during dynamic constant power severe intensity exercise. Six men (24.6 ± 0.9 years, height: 173.5 ± 1.9 cm, body mass: 78.9 ± 5.6 kg) performed severe intensity dynamic handgrip exercise to task failure using 50% and 20% duty cycles. The W′BAL model was fit to each exercise test and the time constant for W′ reconstitution (τ W′) was determined. The τ W′ was significantly longer for the 50% duty cycle (1640 ± 262 sec) than the 20% duty cycle (863 ± 84 sec, P = 0.02). Additionally, the relationship between τ W′ and CP was well described as an exponential decay (r 2 = 0.90, P < 0.0001). In conclusion, the W′BAL model is able to characterize the expenditure and reconstitution of W′ across the contraction–relaxation cycles comprising severe intensity constant power handgrip exercise. Moreover, the reconstitution of W′ during constant power severe intensity exercise is influenced by the relative exercise intensity, the duration of relaxation between contractions, and CP.

These data suggest that heavy whole-body exercise at 85 % [Formula: see text] leads to RMF, decreases in inactive arm blood flow, and vascular conductance, but not cutaneous blood flow.