Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Does Not Alter O₂ Uptake Kinetics during Heavy-Intensity Cycling in Humans

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if exercise-induced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) would alter O₂ uptake kinetics during heavy cycling in 9 untrained females. O₂ uptake kinetics were characterised during 8-min of constant-load cycling performed with and without DOMS. DOMS was caused by completing 30 min of bench-stepping at a rate of 15 steps · min^-1. Two days after bench stepping, all subjects reported significant leg muscle soreness. Both phase II kinetics (without DOMS τ₁: 26.6 ± 2.4 s; with DOMS τ₁: 27.2 ± 3.7 s) and the slow component amplitude (without DOMS: 277 ± 15 mL · min^-1; with DOMS: 291 ± 21 mL · min^-1) were unaffected by DOMS. The change in blood lactate concentration from rest to end-exercise was significantly greater during exercise performed with DOMS. Eccentric exercise causing a moderate degree of DOMS does not appear to impact upon the mechanisms mediating phase II or the slow component of O₂ uptake kinetics.

Key words

cycling efficiency - DOMS - eccentric muscle damage - phase II oxygen uptake kinetics - ventilatory threshold

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