Increased Fatigue Response to Augmented Deceptive Feedback during Cycling Time Trial

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Motor Control

Background:

• Deceptive feedback in performance tasks can influence effort and outcomes.
• Understanding the impact of deception magnitude on physiological responses is crucial for optimizing training and competition strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of varying magnitudes of deceptive feedback on cycling time trial performance.
• To assess the impact of deception on exercise-induced fatigue, including muscle activation and force production.

Main Methods:

• Eleven participants (3 women, 8 men) completed three 5-km cycling time trials with simulated avatar feedback at 100%, 102%, and 105% of their best performance.
• Muscle activation (surface electromyography), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force, potentiated twitch force (QTSingle), and voluntary activation (VA) were measured to quantify fatigue.

Main Results:

• A 2% deception (5K102%) led to increased quadriceps muscle activation, improved power output (5%), and faster completion time (2%) compared to 100% deception (5K100%).
• The 2% deception group exhibited greater reductions in MVC force and VA, and slower QTSingle recovery, indicating exacerbated peripheral and central fatigue.
• No significant differences in performance or fatigue were observed between 100% and 105% deception levels.

Conclusions:

• A 2% magnitude of deception can enhance cycling performance through increased muscle activation but at the cost of greater exercise-induced fatigue.
• Higher levels of deception (5%) did not yield performance benefits and did not further exacerbate fatigue compared to the 2% level.
• Deceptive feedback strategies in cycling time trials can improve performance but necessitate careful consideration of the associated increase in physiological fatigue.