Prior exercise and endurance performance: A test of the mobilization hypothesis

Female subjects (N = 12) aged 19-36 performed prior exercise (PE) consisting of bench-stepping designed to raise heart rate (HR) to 140 bpm, which was maintained for 1 min. After the PE, the subjects rested for 0, 30, or 60 sec before starting a 10-min bench-stepping criterion task (CT). They also performed the CT once without any PE. It was found that performance following PE +30 sec rest and PE +60 sec rest was significantly better than following no PE, while PE +0 did not differ significantly from no PE. The improved performance following PE +30 and PE +60 was attributed to the mobilization of the O₂ transport system during PE which reduced the O₂ deficit at the beginning of the CT, leaving more of the anaerobic capacity available for use later in the CT.