SHARP HEART RATE RESPONSES AND SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTION OF EFFORT IN INDIVIDUALIZED SESSIONS OF HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING WITH AND WITHOUT NEUROMUSCULAR EXERCISES IN MILITARY FIREFIGHTERS

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the acute responses of heart rate (HR) and Rating of perceived effort (RPE) in two sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with and without the performance of neuromuscular exercises in military firefighters. Twenty-two firefighters (age: 29.1 ± 4.3 years; body mass: 75.4 ± 9.2 kg; height: 176 ± 0.1 cm) underwent a 2.400m running test to determine average velocity (v2400) and an incremental intermittent Carminatti test (TCAR) to determine peak velocity (PV). Participants performed two HIIT sessions, one with and one without the execution of neuromuscular exercises. The sessions comprised 4 sets of 5 minutes of effort at 102% of v2400 interspersed with 3 minutes of passive recovery. Each set consisted of shuttle running, with 6 seconds of forward running followed by 6 seconds of recovery and 6 seconds of backward running, with 12 seconds of recovery. During these 12 seconds, passive recovery (HIIT without neuromuscular exercises) or neuromuscular exercises (HIIT with neuromuscular exercises) were performed. HR was monitored during the session, and PSE was assessed at the end of each set. The HIIT with neuromuscular exercises session resulted in higher mean HR (93.3 ± 2.4 vs. 87.4 ± 3.4% of maximum HR; p <0.001) and PSE (5.6 ± 1.1 vs. 3.2 ± 0.7 arbitrary units; p <0.001) compared to HIIT without neuromuscular exercises. In conclusion, both sessions resulted in high cardiovascular demand, but the inclusion of neuromuscular exercises increased HR and PSE. Therefore, these training sessions represent a relevant and easily applicable individualized method for training in this segment of corporations.

Keywords: Periodization, prescription, Interval, Firefighters, HIIT.