Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, AUSTRALIA.
Defence Science and Technology Group, Fishermans Bend, AUSTRALIA.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2020 Aug;52(8):1763-1769. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002321.
This study aimed to characterize and evaluate female-specific physiological and perceptual responses during a load carriage walking task before and after a 10-wk physical training program.
Eleven recreationally active women (age, 21.5 ± 2.2 yr; stature, 1.66 ± 0.8 m; body mass, 64.4 ± 6.8 kg) completed a load carriage task (5 km at 5.5 km·h, wearing a 23-kg torso-borne vest) before and after a 10-wk physical training program. Physiological (i.e., maximal oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), breathing frequency, and pulmonary ventilation) and perceptual (i.e., rating of perceived exertion [RPE]) responses were collected during the load carriage task. Additional physical performance measures (i.e., push-ups, sit-ups, beep test, and isometric midthigh pull) were collected in a separate session before and after the 10-wk of training.
Compared with before training, maximal oxygen uptake requirements reduced during the load carriage task (P < 0.05), whereas heart rate and RPE remained similar. RER reductions over the 5-km march indicated a shift toward fat utilization, with other physiological responses demonstrating an increased ability to sustain the metabolic demands of the load carriage task. Increases in push-up and isometric midthigh pull performance demonstrated improvements in upper-body muscular endurance and lower-body strength after the 10-wk training program (P < 0.05).
During a standardized load carriage task, physiological and perceptual responses indicated physical adaptations to specific training in women. Although positive physiological responses were elicited, additional strategies (i.e., cognitive resilience training, female-specific vest design to reduce pain burden) to build load carriage task-specific resilience (perceptual responses) may be required.
本研究旨在描述和评估女性在负荷行走任务中的生理和感知反应，并在 10 周体能训练计划前后对这些反应进行评估。
11 名有规律运动的女性（年龄 21.5±2.2 岁；身高 1.66±0.8 m；体重 64.4±6.8 kg）在 10 周体能训练计划前后完成了一项负荷行走任务（5km，速度 5.5km·h，身穿 23kg 的躯干式负重背心）。在负荷行走任务中收集了生理（即最大摄氧量、二氧化碳产生量、呼吸交换比（RER）、呼吸频率和肺通气）和感知（即感知用力程度评分[RPE]）反应的数据。在 10 周训练前后的另一次单独会议上收集了其他身体表现测量（即俯卧撑、仰卧起坐、哔哔声测试和等长大腿中部拉力）的数据。
与训练前相比，负荷行走任务中的最大摄氧量需求减少（P<0.05），而心率和 RPE 保持不变。5km 行军中 RER 的降低表明脂肪利用率的增加，其他生理反应表明能够更好地维持负荷行走任务的代谢需求。俯卧撑和等长大腿中部拉力的增加表明，经过 10 周的训练后，上肢肌肉耐力和下肢力量得到了提高（P<0.05）。
在标准化的负荷行走任务中，生理和感知反应表明女性对特定训练有适应性。尽管产生了积极的生理反应，但可能需要采取其他策略（例如认知弹性训练、减轻疼痛负担的女性特定背心设计）来建立特定于负荷行走任务的弹性（感知反应）。
