The relationship between resistance exercise performance and ventilatory efficiency after beetroot juice intake in well-trained athletes

Abstract

The assessment of ventilatory efficiency is critical to understanding the matching of ventilation (VE) and perfusion in the lungs during exercise. This study aimed to establish a causal physiological relationship between ventilatory efficiency and resistance exercise performance after beetroot juice (BJ) intake. Eleven well-trained males performed a resistance exercise test after drinking 140 mL of BJ (~12.8 mmol NO3−) or a placebo (PL). Ventilatory efficiency was assessed by the VE•VCO2−1 slope, the oxygen uptake efficiency slope and the partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PetCO2). The two experimental conditions were controlled using a randomized, double-blind crossover design. [...]