Heart Rate Acquisition and Threshold-Based Training Increases Oxygen Uptake at Metabolic Threshold in Triathletes: A Pilot Study

Exercise intensity is a critical component of the exercise prescription model. However, current research employing various non-specific exercise intensity protocols have reported wide variability in maximum oxygen uptake (VO(2max)) improvement after training, suggesting a present lack of consensus regarding optimal heart rate (f(C)) training zones for maximal athletic performance. This study examined the relationship between percentage of time (%time) spent training between the metabolic (VO(2)θ) and ventilatory thresholds (V(E)θ), and the resultant change in markers of aerobic performance. Thirteen (6 males) collegiate club-level triathletes were recruited for eight weeks of remote f(C) monitoring during all running and cycling sessions. Participants donned a forearm-worn optical f(C) sensor paired to a smartphone that collected and stored f(C)s. Subjects were categorized into Low and High groups based on %time spent training between the VO(2)θ and V(E)θ. Significant increases were observed in relative VO(2max) (P = 0.007, g = 0.48), VO(2)θ (P = 0.018, g = 0.35), and V(E)θ (P = 0.030, g = 0.29) from baseline after eight weeks for both groups. A 95% bootstrapped confidence interval that did not include zero (−0.38, −0.03; g = 1.26) revealed a large and significantly greater change in VO(2)θ in the High group (0.37 ± 0.15 L/min) versus the Low group (0.17 ± 0.14 L/min). No significant differences were observed in other variables between groups. Increasing triathletes’ %time spent exercising between VO(2)θ and V(E)θ may optimize increases in VO(2)θ after eight weeks of training.