Acute Physiological and Perceptual Responses to Six Body-Weight Squat Exercise Variations

TL;DR

This study compares how different body-weight squat exercises affect heart rate, muscle oxygen levels, and perceived effort in active individuals.

Contribution

The study provides a holistic comparison of physiological and perceptual responses to six squat variations during acute exercise.

Findings

Jumping squats caused the highest heart rate and lowest muscle oxygen saturation in the soleus.

Jumping squats were perceived as the most demanding at both overall and lower limb levels.

No differences were found in recovery time or SmO2 in the vastus lateralis muscle across variations.

Abstract

Adequate exercise prescription requires a deep understanding of the body’s response to exercise. This study explored the responses of heart rate (HR), muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), and perceived exertion (RPE) during six body-weight squat exercise variations. A total of 15 recreationally active participants (age: 28.2 ± 8.0 years; body mass: 71.1 ± 11.2 kg; height: 1.73 ± 0.08 m) were recruited. Six body-weight squat variations (deep, jumping, single-leg, uneven, unstable, and wall-sit) were randomly performed for 90 s. Results revealed that the jumping squat promoted a higher average and peak HR (165.3 ± 14.5 and 146.1 ± 14.8 bpm, respectively), and a lower average SmO2 and higher deoxygenation SmO2 in the soleus muscle (40.3 ± 15.4 and 46.0 ± 11.4%, accordingly). No differences were observed in recovery time or in the same SmO2 derived-parameters in the vastus lateralis muscle. The jumping variation promoted a greater response at a physiological level, both centrally, related to cardiovascular response, and peripherally, related to soleus SmO2. It was also the more demanding variation at both the overall and lower limb muscular level of RPE. This holistic view allows a precise identification of the response patterns in body-weight squat exercise variations to an acute session, with a training intervention providing additional information.

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