The purpose of this study was to determine the heart rate (HR), the blood pressure (BP) and the oxygen uptake responses in wearing sports clothes with compression and gradation during unsteady workload exercise. Volunteering to participate in this study were 18 healthy Japanese males, who gave their informed consent prior to participation. Each subject performed cycling exercise for 32 min, and recovered for 10 min in the supine position. They performed the exercise in two portions, a calibration test portion and gradual increase and decrease of workload exercise test portions. The calibration test consisted of three 4min bouts of exercise at 20, 60 and 40% of maximum oxygen uptake. The gradual increase and decrease of workload exercise test consisted of 4min bouts of gradual increase and decrease of workload exercise at between 20 and 60% of maximum oxygen uptake. The experimental conditions were control condition (C-condition) and wearing sports clothes in compression and gradation condition (CG-condition). HR, BP, oxygen uptake were measured in both experiments. Maximal and minimal values, amplitude and phase lags at workload top and bottom were measured in each gradual increase and decrease of workload exercise cycle. At rest, physiological markers showed no significant difference in either condition. HR at 60% and top of workload in the CG-condition was significantly lower than in the C-condition (p< 0.05, respectively). At 20%, 40% and bottom workload, however, HR showed no significant difference in either condition. The phase lags to the top the workload in the CG-condition was significantly shorter than on the C-condition (p< 0.05). However, phase lags to the bottom of the workload showed no significant difference in either condition. BP, oxygen uptake and double product showed no significant difference in either condition. These data suggest that the sports clothes in compression and gradation acts as an advantage of the relative exercise intensity decrease in moderate bicycle exercise.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.33/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE