Acute Physiological and Perceptual Responses to Six Body-Weight Squat Exercise Variations

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Understanding exercise-induced physiological responses is crucial for effective exercise prescription.
• Bodyweight squats are a fundamental exercise, but variations elicit different responses.
• Investigating heart rate (HR), muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), and perceived exertion (RPE) provides a comprehensive view of exercise intensity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the physiological and perceptual responses to six different bodyweight squat variations.
• To identify which squat variation elicits the greatest cardiovascular and muscular demand.
• To inform exercise prescription by detailing the specific responses of each squat variation.

Main Methods:

• Fifteen recreationally active participants performed six bodyweight squat variations for 90 seconds each.
• Measurements included average and peak heart rate (HR), muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) in the soleus and vastus lateralis, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE).
• Data were analyzed to compare responses across different squat variations.

Main Results:

• The jumping squat significantly increased average and peak HR, and decreased SmO2 in the soleus muscle.
• The jumping squat also resulted in the highest RPE, indicating greater perceived exertion.
• No significant differences in recovery time or SmO2 parameters were found in the vastus lateralis across variations.

Conclusions:

• The jumping squat variation demands greater cardiovascular and peripheral (soleus muscle) physiological responses.
• This variation also leads to higher perceived exertion compared to other bodyweight squats.
• These findings aid in precisely identifying response patterns of bodyweight squat variations for targeted training interventions.