The influence of subjective intensity control on perceived fatigue and capillary lactate in two types of resistance training

Abstract

Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a method used to control intensity in resistance training (RT). However, few studies have compared acute physiological andperceptual responses between different types of RT. The objective of this study was to compare the acute responses of lactate and perceived fatigue (PF) between manual resistance training (MRT) and free weight RT (FWRT) with intensity control by RPE, and to evaluate the correlation between lactate and PF in both interventions. Fourteen previously untrained men (40.29 ± 8.63 years, BMI = 26.53 ± 5.24 kg/m²) underwent single sessions of MRT and FWRT with intensity control by RPE (5-7 OMNI-RES). Lactate and PF were analyzed pre and post-test. Repeated measures ANOVA and the post hoc Bonferroni test were used for data analysis, adopting a significance level of 5% (P ? 0.05). The effect size was calculated to determine the magnitude of the response and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between lactate and PF. Both interventions increased post-test lactate compared to pre-test levels. However, the increase was greater for MRT. Post-test PF was increased when compared to pre-test levels in both protocols, with no difference between interventions. However, a greater effect size was observed for MRT. The correlation between PF and lactate was moderate in three of the four assessments. In conclusion, the same intensity zone in RPE may elicit different physiological responses in the two types of RT. Thus, the use of RPE for intensity control under these conditions should be viewed with caution.