The effect of manipulated understanding of the task end point on pacing during simulated rugby league match-play

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of manipulated understanding of the task end point on pacing profiles during simulated rugby league match-play. Thirteen male rugby players performed three trails of the rugby league match simulation protocol (RLMSP-i). In one trial, subjects were informed they would perform 2×23 min bouts (20 min rest between; control trial, CON). In a second trial, subjects were told to perform 1×23 min bout, following this they were asked to perform an additional 23 min bout (deception trial, DEC). In a third trial, subjects were not told the duration of the RLMSP-i they would perform (up to 80 minutes), but stopped after 2×23 minute bouts (unknown trial, UN).Movement demands, heart rate and blood lactate were measured during all trials, with muscle force/soreness and session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) recorded immediately after the protocol. Maximum sprint speeds were significantly different between trials, significantly rising at the end of bout two in CON (23.5 ± 1.5 km.h-1, P <0.05), and at the end of bout one for DEC (23.8 ± 1.6 km.h-1, P <0.05), whilst remaining significantly lower in the UN trial (P <0.05). Session RPE for DEC (7 ± 1.6) was significantly higher than CON (5.6 ± 1.7) and UN (4.8 ± 2.6; P <0.05). Results suggest pacing occurs during simulated match-play, but when an individual’s understanding of the end-point of exercise is manipulated (DEC or UN) their pacing schema significantly differentiates to when knowledge of the end-point is known (CON).