Acute effects of high-intensity interval training session and endurance exercise on pulmonary function and cardiorespiratory coupling

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the acute effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise and endurance exercise (EE) on pulmonary function, sympathetic/parasympathetic balance, and cardiorespiratory coupling (CRC) in healthy participants. Using a crossover repeated-measurements design, four females and four males were exposed to EE (20 min at 80% maximal heart rate [HR]), HIIT (1 min of exercise at 90% maximal HR per 1 min of rest, 10 times), or control condition (resting). Pulmonary function, HR, CRC, and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed before and after the interventions. Results revealed no significant effects of EE or HIIT on pulmonary function. The EE, but not HIIT, significantly increased CRC. In contrast, HRV was markedly changed by HIIT, not by EE. Indeed, both the low-frequency (LFHRV ) and high-frequency (HFHRV ) components of HRV were increased and decreased, respectively, after HIIT. The increase in LFHRV was greater after HIIT than after EE. Therefore, a single bout of HIIT or EE has no effects on pulmonary function. Moreover, CRC and cardiac autonomic regulation are targeted differently by the two exercise modalities.

Keywords: autonomic control; cardiorespiratory coupling; endurance exercise; exercise training; high- intensity interval training.

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors declare competing financial interests.

© 2020 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.

Figures

FIGURE 1

Experimental design. Physically active men (n = 4) and women (n = 4), performed 3 different randomly ordered protocols (HIIT, endurance exercise [EE] and control) in a treadmill. Before and after each experimental procedure individuals were assessed on: blood pressure, autonomic control, cardiorespiratory coupling, pulmonary function and orthostatic sit‐up test. HRmax, maximal heart rate

FIGURE 2

Acute effect of high‐intensity interval training and endurance exercise on pulmonary function. Summary data of pulmonary flow recording during forced expiration test. (a–c) Control, EE and HIIT, respectively, showed similar values of peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume at 1‐s (FEV1), forced expiratory flow at 25% (FEF 25), 50% (FEF 50) and 75% (FEF 75) of vital capacity (VC), FEF and FEV1/VC during control patients. Two‐way ANOVA with repeated measures followed by Holm‐Sidak post‐hoc test, median ± min‐max, n = 8

FIGURE 3

Acute effect of high‐intensity exercise training and endurance exercise on heart rate variability alterations in healthy individuals. (a) Representative spectrums of heart rate variability (HRV) in control conditions, EE and HIIT. Note that HIIT has an increase of low frequency (LF) of HRV, a decrease of high frequency (HF) of HRV and, consequently, an increase of LF/HF ratio. (b‐d) Summary quantification of LF, HF and LF/HF ratio of HRV, respectively. Two‐way ANOVA with repeated measures followed by Holm‐Sidak post‐hoc test, median ± min‐max, n = 8

FIGURE 4

Single bout of high‐intensity exercise training elicits sympathoexcitation in healthy individuals. (a) Representative recording of heart rate (HR) and power spectral density (PSD) of non‐stationary analysis of HR with 2‐s resolution (time varying domain of HR variability) during tilt. Note that post‐HIIT the low frequency (LF) component is increased and high frequency (HF) component is decreased. Control and endurance exercise did not show significant differences (b) Summary data of △HR between before and after tilt test. (c–e) Summary data of LF, HF and LF/HF ratio of HRV non‐stationary analysis, respectively. Twoway ANOVA with repeated measures followed by Holm‐Sidak post‐hoc test. Values are median ± min‐max n = 8

FIGURE 5

Single bout of endurance exercise increases cardiorespiratory coupling in healthy individuals. (a) Representative image of control condition, EE and HIIT before and after single bout of exercise on coupling oscillation between breath (B) and heart (H). Note that EE training results in an increase of physiological coupling after the exercise. There were no significant changes in control and HIIT. (b) Quantification of the effect of control, EE and HIIT on the coupling coefficient between B‐H (B → H). (c) Coupling coefficient between H‐B (H → B). Two‐way ANOVA with repeated measures followed by Holm‐Sidak post‐hoc test. Values are median ± min‐max, n = 8