Maximal and Submaximal Cardiorespiratory Responses to a Novel Graded Karate Test

The present study aimed to propose and assess the physiological responses of a novel graded karate test. Ten male national-level karate athletes (age 26 +/- 5 yrs; body mass 69.5 +/- 11.6 kg; height 1.70 +/- 0.09 m) performed two exercise tests (separated by 2-7 days): 1) a running-based cardiopulmonary exercise test; 2) a graded karate test. The cardiopulmonary exercise test was comprised of an individualized ramp protocol for treadmill running, and the graded karate test was comprised of a sequence of 'kis-ami-gyaku-zuki" punching at a fixed frequency of a stationary target that becomes progressively distant. Cardiorespiratory responses, blood lactate concentration, and perceived exertion were measured. A verification phase was also performed in both tests to confirm the maximal physiological outcomes. The graded karate test evoked similar maximal responses to the running protocol: VO2 (57.4 +/- 5.1 vs 58.3 +/- 3.5 mL.kg(-1).min(-1); p = 0.53), heart rate (192 +/- 6 vs 193 +/- 10]beats.min(-1); p = 0.62) and blood lactate (14.6 +/- 3.4 vs 13.1 +/- 3.0 mmol.L-1; p = 0.14) with a shorter duration (351 +/- 71 vs 640 +/- 9 s; p < 0.001). Additionally, the graded karate test evoked higher VO2 (72.6 +/- 6.5 vs 64.4 +/- 4.3 %VO2MAX; p = 0.005) and heart rate (89.4 +/- 4.6 vs 77.3 +/- 7.2 %HRMAX p < 0.001) at the ventilatory threshold and a higher heart rate (97.0 +/- 2.4 vs 92.9 +/- 2.2 %HRMAX; p = 0.02) at the respiratory compensation point. Incremental and verification phases evoked similar responses in VO2 and minute-ventilation during both tests. This novel displacement-based sport-specific test evoked similar maximal and higher submaximal responses, indicating a superior pathway to assess karate athletes.