2.5. Data Analysis
At rest, all cardiorespiratory variables and NIRS signals were averaged over the last 3 min immediately before the exercise (resting baseline values). During submaximal exercise for 4 min at each exercise intensity (i.e., 40–80–120 W and 30–60–90 W for men and women, respectively), these physiological values were averaged over the last 1 min at each exercise intensity. At the maximal level, data were averaged over the last 30 s prior to exhaustion. As our NIRS device represents HHb and total Hb signals as arbitrary units, to compare both signals between participants, the changes in HHb and total Hb were quantified as percentages from the resting baseline values. Specifically, resting baseline values in each trial were defined as 100% and were shown as relative changes. Based on a previous study [