Heart rate (HR) is the most frequently used variable to monitor athletes’ internal load during training and competition. High-intensity effort and abrupt HR changes during exercise have presented measurement accuracy issues depending on the chosen device. Therefore, this study aimed to compare two chest straps (Garmin HRM-Dual and Coospo H6) and one armband (Coospo HW807) during intermittent exercise under controlled laboratory conditions. Thirty active young men performed an indoor cycling protocol consisting of seven intermittent efforts with a 2 min effort stage followed by a 2 min recovery stage. The results show no difference between the chest straps (Garmin vs. Coospo), with a high level of agreement between the two devices (Bias = −0.2 bpm, LoA_up = +2.5 bpm, LoA_low = −2.9 bpm, ICC = 0.6–1.0). Differences were found between the chest straps and the armband during effort stages (±5 bpm, p < 0.05), with similar bias and LoA values in the Garmin Strap vs. Coospo Armband (Bias = −0.5 bpm, LoA_up = 8.3 bpm, LoA_low = −9.3 bpm) and Coospo Strap vs. Coospo Armband (Bias = −0.4 bpm, LoA_up = 8.3 bpm, LoA_low = −9.0 bpm) comparison. Chest straps (Garmin HRM-Dual and Coospo H6) accurately measure HR during intermittent exercise with abrupt HR changes. However, caution should be taken when using armbands (Coospo HW807) to monitor intermittent and high-intensity effort.

The assessment of speech production difficulty has been used to control aerobic exercise intensity through the Talk Test method. The aim of this study was to compare the Talk Test variables to lactate thresholds using an incremental...

Technological development has boosted the use of multi-sensor devices to monitor athletes’ performance, but the location and connectivity between devices have been shown to affect data reliability. This preliminary study aimed to determine whether the placement of a multi-sensor device (WIMU PRO^TM) could affect the heart rate signal reception (GARMIN^TM chest strap) and, therefore, data accuracy. Thirty-two physical education students (20 men and 12 women) performed 20 min of exercise in a cycle ergometer based on the warm-up of the Function Threshold Power 20 test in laboratory conditions, carrying two WIMU PRO^TM devices (Back: inter-scapula; Bicycle: bicycle’s handlebar—20 cm from the chest) and two GARMIN^TM chest straps. A one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping test found full agreement between the two situations (inter-scapula vs. bicycle’s handlebar). Excellent intra-class correlation values were obtained during the warm-up (ICC = 0.99, [1.00–1.00], p < 0.001), the time trial test (ICC = 0.99, [1.00–1.00], p < 0.001) and the cool-down (ICC = 0.99, [1.00–1.00], p < 0.001). The Bland–Altman plots confirmed the total agreement with a bias value of 0.00 ± 0.1 bpm. The interscapular back placement of the WIMU PRO^TM device does not affect heart rate measurement accuracy with a GARMIN^TM chest strap during cycling exercise in laboratory conditions.

Background: Increased level of physical activity (PA) and health education are known as non-pharmacological treatments of hypertension (HP). There is a lack of studies investigating the influence of HP knowledge on the level of PA among hypertensive patients. Objective: To examine the influence of patient’s knowledge about HP on PA level and the relationship between these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in in a primary care center located in a city in the southern Brazil. A total [...] Abstract Background: Increased level of physical activity (PA) and health education are known as non-pharmacological treatments of hypertension (HP). There is a lack of studies investigating the influence of HP knowledge on the level of PA among hypertensive patients. Objective: To examine the influence of patient’s knowledge about HP on PA level and the relationship between these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in in a primary care center located in a city in the southern Brazil. A total

The Talk Test (TT) or conversation threshold is a simple and subjective method used to control exercise intensity by a no invasive manner. The basis of this method is that, for many exercise intensities, subjects are not able to maintain comfortable speech and ventilation and other physiological responses are associated to this inability. Thus, some physiological transition thresholds (LTF) can be predicted indirectly by speech difficult. Several studies have explored this alternative by investigating its relationship to physiological and psychophysical variables and evidence of validity for application in distinct populations. It occurred mainly at the 2 last decades which great attention have been given by the scientific community. The aim of this review is to make a discussion about the studies which used the Talk Test to estimate physiological transition thresholds and effort intensities in distinct populations. We present some aspects, such as physiological mechanisms of speech control during exercise, the context of talk test, the methodological alternatives applied, the hypothetical relationship between the talk test and physiological transition thresholds. The search for scientific articles related to this topic was done at the Medline, Lilacs e SportDiscus databases, and by the last studies from our research group. In conclusion, speech production difficult can predict physiological thresholds and identify target zones to aerobic exercise for many populations. However, further studies have to improve the speech protocol for comparison to other physiological and psychophysical variables.

This study aimed to compare the acute heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration ([La]) and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) responses between sexes during three different high-intensity intermittent (HIIE) shuttle-run training models prescribed from the peak speed of the Futsal Intermittent Endurance Test (PSFIET). Eleven female (19.1 ± 1.7 years) and 11 male (22.1 ± 3.9 years) junior or professional futsal players firstly performed the FIET. Then, two HIIE models were performed by males and females in randomized order. Model 1 and 2 were sex-specific, while Model 3 was performed by both. HIIE models included shuttle-runs with short rest periods, followed by a 3-min rest interval between the sets. The intensity varied across models (92%, 89%, 86% PSFIET). HR (expressed as the percentage of the individual maximal HR), [La], and RPE values were acquired after each set and at the end of the session. All the comparisons were performed following a Bayesian approach. At the first set, cardiovascular strain (≈93.5% HRmax) was similar between sexes, but higher [La] was noticed in females (7.33;7.41 mmol/L) than in males (4.96;6.42 mmol/L). Females presented larger changes in the %HRmax (1.25;1.29 vs. 0.41;0.58 %) and [La] (0.56;1.26 vs. −0.25;0.63 mmol/L) than males for every additional set. Also, males presented lower RPE values than females in the same HIIE format (4.9 vs. 6.0 a.u), even though they performed one more set. In conclusion, female futsal players experienced greater perceptual and metabolic responses than male players during HIIE with more directional changes, suggesting sex specific responses to the addition of COD during HIIE.