Exercise Post-Oxygen Consumption in Response to Cycling at Various Intensities.

Lauren D. Watson, Cody S. Dulaney, Tricia L. Hart, Eliott Arroyo, Adam R. Jajtner

Exercise Physiology Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to assess exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC) in response to high-intensity interval training versus moderate continuous training cycling. Methods: Two recreationally active men (21.3 ± 3.51 yrs; 182.83 ± 6.25 cm; 79.36 ± 8.69 kg; 3.57 ± 0.10 L∙min^-1) completed three trials: a graded exercise test, and two cycling trials in a randomized order: a high-intensity interval (HII) and moderate continuous (MC) bout. Baseline VO₂ was assessed for 30 minutes prior to each cycling trial. During HII, participants completed 15 90-second bouts of exercise at 85% VO_2max with 90-second active recovery periods at 25% VO_2max. During MC participants cycled for 45-minutes at 65% VO_2max. For both conditions, participants completed a 5-minute warm-up and 3-minute cool down at 25% VO_2max. Recovery VO₂ was assessed within 3 minutes of completing the cool down for 60 minutes. Respiratory gasses were analyzed every 5 minutes during recovery. Results: Preliminary data shows an average oxygen consumption of 3.87 ± 0.83 mL/kg/min for HII and 3.91 ± 0.52 mL/kg/min for MCT. Also, the average oxygen consumption at the beginning of rest was 5.32 ± 0.48 ml/kg/min and declined to 3.93 ± 0.31 mL/kg/min at the end of recovery. Conclusion: Average and decline in VO₂ response was similar during 60 minutes of quiet rest in the HII compared to the MC despite differences in exercise intensity during each protocol.