Does A Priming Warm-up Influence Cardiopulmonary Responses To A Ramp Test?

Prior heavy-intensity priming warm-up enhances oxygen uptake (O2) kinetics, prolonging subsequent exercise duration. Whether this effect improves the V̇O2 plateau (V̇O2pl) by prolonging a ramp test duration to determine maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) is unknown. PURPOSE: Compare normal vs. priming warm-up protocols on V̇O2pl incidence rate and physiological responses during a ramp test. METHODS: 11 cyclists (body mass = 78.6 ± 11.3 kg, age = 36 ± 9 y, V̇O2max = 51.0 ± 5.2 mL·kg−1·min−1) performed a normal (cycling at 50 W for 10 min) and a priming warm-up (50 W for 4 min increasing to 70% difference between the gas exchange threshold and V̇O2max for 6 min) at visit 1 and 2, respectively. Both were followed by a ramp test (30 W.min-1) with a 30-minute rest before the ramp test. V̇O2pl was confirmed if the difference between the modeled and actual V̇O2 was above 50% V̇O2 slope in the last stage of the ramp test. Cardiopulmonary responses were collected during the warm-up and the ramp test and compared between the normal and primed groups using paired t-tests. Blood lactate (BLa) was measured before and after the warm-up and the ramp test. V̇O2 kinetics were calculated as overall and domain-specific V̇O2 slope during the ramp test. RESULTS: As expected, at the end of the warm-up, the primed group had greater BLa (primed: 10.3 ± 3.4 mmol.L-1; normal: 1.4 ± 0.5 mmol.L-1, p < 0.001), heart rate (primed: 173 ± 10 bpm; normal: 113 ± 10 bpm, p < 0.001), and V̇O2 (primed: 47.9 ± 3.7 mL.kg-1.min-1; normal: 21.7 ± 2.5 mL.kg-1.min-1, p < 0.001) compared to normal. However, the V̇O2pl incidence rate was not different between groups (73% for both groups) during the ramp test. Max heart rate (p = 0.91), V̇O2max (p = 0.09), V̇O2 kinetics (p ≥ 0.08), and max respiratory exchange ratio (p = 0.32) were not different between groups. BLa was higher in the normal versus primed group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A priming warm-up does not affect V̇O2pl incidence rate or cardiopulmonary responses to a ramp test and not indicated for use. This study was partially funded through a Mark Diamond Research Foundation grant.The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the U.S. Government, Department of Energy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Mark Diamond Research Foundation grant