Effect of Body Composition on Respiratory Compensation Point During an Incremental Test

Abstract

Body mass (BM) and composition are considered to be significant determinants of aerobic endurance. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of BM and its composition makeup on endurance performance. Thirty-nine men were divided into 3 groups of significantly different BM and mass composition: a control group, a group with high body fat (HBF), and a group with high lean body mass (HLBM). Participants in the HBF and HLBM groups had similar BM, which was significantly greater than observed in the control group. All participants performed an incremental treadmill test to volitional failure. Endurance performance was assessed on the basis of respiratory compensation point (RCP). The HBF and HLBM groups exceeded RCP at a much lower work intensity, expressed as %HRmax and %VO2max, compared with the control group. When considered relative to BM and lean body mass, oxygen consumption values at RCP were significantly less in the HBF and HLBM groups compared with the control group. Increased BM, regardless of its composition, substantially reduced aerobic endurance performance. Therefore, athletes and coaches should pay attention to not only the percentage of body fat but also to the amount of lean body mass because any gain may adversely affect aerobic endurance performance.

The relative peak power output of amateur mountain bikers is inversely correlated with body fat but not with fat-free mass

“…On the other hand, a greater in BM, resulting from an increase in muscle mass, as a consequence of anaerobic 21 but not aerobic 22 exercise performance. According to the study of Maciejczyk et al 22 , a higher BM may be a limiting factor, regardless of BC, because substantially reduced aerobic endurance performance of recreationally active subjects, where an excess of BF or high muscle mass levels exhibited similar responses. Unlike our findings, the BF adversely affects PPO-BM, but the FFM level, which contains a high muscle mass value, did not.…”

“…The BF is an important energetic substrate for long time exercise. However, the excess of BF leads to an increase of BM which is associated with a negative effect on anaerobic 21 and aerobic 22 exercise performance of non-professional athletes, possibly caused by a decrease of the maximal power output and maximal oxygen uptake normalized to BM, respectively. However, in elite MTB athletes, no significant correlation was found between BF and race time performance in Olympic cross-country 12 .…”

Effect of maximal-intensity exercise on systemic nitro-oxidative stress in men and women

“…Criteria for determining RCP RCP was designated for each participant using the method of respiratory equivalents, similarly as in earlier studies. 22 It was assumed that RCP corresponds to the intensity of the exercise, for which the following were determined in total: (a) decrease in %F E CO 2 after reaching maximal level, (b) rapid nonlinear increase in V E (second deflection), (c) V E /VCO 2 ratio reached a minimum and began to increase, (d) rapid nonlinear increase in VCO 2 (second deflection). 17,23 Absolute oxygen consumption at RCP (VO 2RCP ) and relative to body mass (VO 2RCP •BM −1 ), as well as to lean body mass (VO 2RCP •LBM −1 ) were specified.…”

Low Frequency Severe-Intensity Interval Training Markedly Alters Respiratory Compensation Point During Incremental Exercise in Untrained Male

“…Consequently, evaluation of RCP is considered to be an important assessment of exercise tolerance to severe-intensity intermittent activities such as soccer and basketball, which consist of a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and the effectiveness of the training program (Green et al, 2003;Maciejczyk et al, 2014a,b;Keir et al, 2015). Maciejczyk et al (2014b) reported that RCP measurement is a better method than VT for determining high-intensity exercise performance because exceeding RCP induced much greater changes in body functions, such as an increase in lactate concentration and a development of metabolic acidosis leading to physical fatigue. They suggested that compared with VT andV O2 peak, evaluation of RCP during incremental exercise test is an easy and better method of assessing aerobic capacity in subjects with lowered physical capacity and motivational problems, because RCP evaluation does not require performing maximum effort.…”