Oxygen uptake, heart rate, and blood lactate responses during and following karate training

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether each exercise and an entire karate training session can achieve: 1) accepted training intens ity thresholds for effective aerobic capacity training, 2) energy expenditu re (EE) thresholds for total body mass and fat weight loss, and 3) elevatio n in excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Methods: We investigate d physiological responses during five types of karate training: basic techn iques without (S-Basics) and with CM-Basics) movements, sparring techniques without (TECH I) and with (TECH Ii) an opponent, and kata. Results: The me an percent of maximal oxygen uptake (%VO2max) and KR (%HRmax) for S-Basics were below the accepted threshold (60% of HRmax or 50% of VO2max) and for M -Basics, TECH I and TECH II were above the threshold for increasing VO2max. For kata, and the entire 70 min of karate training, the mean %HRmax were s lightly above the threshold, and (%VO2max were slightly below the threshold . The mean EPOC measured for 5 min immediately following 70 min of karate t raining did not differ from the resting VO2. The mean EB resulting from 70 min of karate exercise and EPOC were 2355.4 +/- 316.3 kJ and 38.8 +/- 32.7 kJ, respectively. Conclusions: Although the training intensity of karate ex ercises studied was moderate and the effects of karate training on EPOC wer e minimal, the mean value of EE was well above the accepted threshold for t otal body mass and fat weight loss.