Physiological Implication of Slope Gradient during Incremental Running Test

Johan Cassirame (), Antoine Godin, Maxime Chamoux, Gregory Doucende and Laurent Mourot
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Johan Cassirame: Laboratory Culture Sport Health and Society (C3S−UR 4660), Sport and Performance Department, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comte, 25000 Besançon, France
Antoine Godin: EA3920-Prognostic Markers and Regulatory Factors of Heart and Vascular Diseases, and Exercise Performance, Health, Innovation Platform, University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France
Maxime Chamoux: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Performance Santé en Environnement de Montagne (LIPSEM), UR-4604, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 7 Avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 66120 Font-Romeu, France
Gregory Doucende: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Performance Santé en Environnement de Montagne (LIPSEM), UR-4604, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 7 Avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 66120 Font-Romeu, France
Laurent Mourot: EA3920-Prognostic Markers and Regulatory Factors of Heart and Vascular Diseases, and Exercise Performance, Health, Innovation Platform, University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Uphill running induces a higher physiological demand than level conditions. Although many studies have investigated this locomotion from a psychological point of view, there is no clear position on the effects of the slope on the physiological variables during an incremental running test performed on a slope condition. The existing studies have heterogeneous designs with different populations or slopes and have reported unclear results. Some studies observed an increase in oxygen consumption, whereas it remained unaffected in others. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a slope on the oxygen consumption, breathing frequency, ventilation and heart rate during an incremental test performed on 0, 15, 25 and 40% gradient slopes by specialist trail runners. The values are compared at the first and second ventilatory threshold and exhaustion. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA, with a Bonferroni post-hoc analysis, was used to determine the effects of a slope gradient (0, 15, 25 and 40%) on the physiological variables. Our study shows that all the variables are not affected in same way by the slopes during the incremental test. The heart rate and breathing frequency did not differ from the level condition and all the slope gradients at the ventilatory thresholds or exhaustion. At the same time, the ventilation and oxygen consumption increased concomitantly with the slope ( p < 0.001) in all positions. The post-hoc analysis highlighted that the ventilation significantly increased between each successive gradient (0 to 15%, 15% to 25% and 25% to 40%), while the oxygen consumption stopped increasing at the 25% gradient. Our results show that the 25 and 40% gradient slopes allow the specialist trail runners to reach the highest oxygen consumption level.

Keywords: trail running; exercise physiology; maximal oxygen consumption; performance; testing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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