Acute performance fatigability following continuous versus intermittent cycling protocols is not proportional to total work done.

Classical training theory postulates that performance fatigability following a training session should be proportional to the total work done (TWD); however, this notion has been questioned. This study investigated indices of performance and perceived fatigability after primary sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and constant work rate (CWR) cycling, each followed by a cycling time-to-task failure (TTF) bout. On separate days, 16 participants completed an incremental cycling test, and, in a randomized order, (i) a TTF trial at 80% of peak power output (PPO), (ii) an HIIT session, and (iii) a CWR session, both of which were immediately followed by a TTF trial at 80% PPO.