Maximal and Submaximal Cardiorespiratory Responses to a Novel Graded Karate Test

• Published in: Journal of sports science & medicine 2021-06, Vol.20 (2), p.310-316
• Main Authors: Hausen, Matheus, Freire, Raul, Machado, Andrea B, Pereira, Glauber R, Millet, Gregoire P, Itaborahy, Alex
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Athletes; Cardiovascular physiology; Cardiovascular system; Exercise; Exercise tests; Experiments; Fitness equipment; Karate; Martial artists; Martial arts; Metabolism; Physical fitness; Physiological aspects; Physiological research; Physiology; Pulmonary ventilation; Running
• ISSN: 1303-2968; 1303-2968
• DOI: 10.52082/jssm.2021.310

The present study aimed to propose and assess the physiological responses of a novel graded karate test. Ten male national-level karate athletes (age 26 [+ or -] 5 yrs; body mass 69.5 [+ or -] 11.6 kg; height 1.70 [+ or -] 0.09 m) performed two exercise tests (separated by 2-7 days): 1) a running-based cardiopulmonary exercise test; 2) a graded karate test. The cardiopulmonary exercise test was comprised of an individualized ramp protocol for treadmill running, and the graded karate test was comprised of a sequence of 'kisami-gyaku-zuki" punching at a fixed frequency of a stationary target that becomes progressively distant. Cardiorespiratory responses, blood lactate concentration, and perceived exertion were measured. A verification phase was also performed in both tests to confirm the maximal physiological outcomes. The graded karate test evoked similar maximal responses to the running protocol: V[O.sub.2] (57.4 [+ or -] 5.1 vs 58.3 [+ or -] 3.5 [mL*kg.sup.-1]*[min.sup.-1]; p = 0.53), heart rate (192 [+ or -] 6 vs 193 [+ or -] 10]beats.min (-1); p = 0.62) and blood lactate (14.6 [+ or -] 3.4 vs 13.1 [+ or -] 3.0 mmol*L (-1); p = 0.14) with a shorter duration (351 [+ or -] 71 vs 640 [+ or -] 9 s; p < 0.001). Additionally, the graded karate test evoked higher V[O.sub.2] (72.6 [+ or -] 6.5 vs 64.4 [+ or -] 4.3 %V[O.sub.2]MAX; p = 0.005) and heart rate (89.4 [+ or -] 4.6 vs 77.3 [+ or -] 7.2 %HRMAX p < 0.001) at the ventilatory threshold and a higher heart rate (97.0 [+ or -] 2.4 vs 92.9 [+ or -] 2.2 %HRMAX; p = 0.02) at the respiratory compensation point. Incremental and verification phases evoked similar responses in V[O.sub.2] and minute-ventilation during both tests. This novel displacement-based sport-specific test evoked similar maximal and higher submaximal responses, indicating a superior pathway to assess karate athletes. Key words: Oxygen uptake, ventilatory thresholds, heart rate, blood lactate, martial arts.