Special needs to prescribe exercise intensity for scientific studies

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Cardiovascular Health

Background:

• Physical activity provides significant health benefits, with intensity playing a key role in a dose-response manner.
• Established guidelines for exercise testing and prescription aim for optimal training standards.
• Current methods for prescribing exercise intensity, primarily using percentages of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) or heart rate (HRmax), have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the limitations of traditional exercise intensity prescription methods.
• To propose the use of objective submaximal markers for more accurate exercise training.
• To improve the efficacy of exercise prescription by tailoring training within defined physiological regions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the dose-response relationship between physical activity and health benefits.
• Evaluation of current exercise intensity prescription methods based on %VO2max and %HRmax.
• Identification of limitations stemming from the nonuniform heart rate performance curve during incremental exercise.

Main Results:

• Prescribing exercise intensity via %VO2max or %HRmax leads to variable metabolic and cardiocirculatory responses.
• The nonuniformity of the heart rate performance curve during exercise significantly impacts target heart rate calculations.
• %HRmax and %HRR, as well as %VO2max and %VO2R, yield imprecise training intensities.

Conclusions:

• Objective submaximal markers, such as physiological thresholds or turn points, offer a more reliable approach to exercise intensity prescription.
• Tailoring exercise training within defined physiological regions based on these objective markers can overcome the limitations of current methods.
• Implementing objective submaximal markers enhances the precision and effectiveness of exercise training for improved health outcomes.