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Purpose: This study aimed to investigatewhether (meta-) cognitive functions underpin the development of the self-regulated distribution of effort during exercise (i.e., pacing) throughout adolescence. Methods: Participants included 18 adolescents (9 girls, 15.6 ± 2.5 yr old) and 26 adults (13 women, 26.8 ± 3.1 yr old), all recreationally active but unfamiliar with time trial cycling. The (meta-) cognitive functions involved in preexercise planning were quantified by calculating the difference between estimated and actual finish time during a 4-km cycling time trial. The capability to monitor and adapt one's effort distribution during exercise was measured during a 7-min submaximal trial, in which the participants were tasked with adhering to a set submaximal goal velocity either with (0-5 min) or without (5-7 min) additional feedback provided by the researcher. Analyses included between-group comparisons (ANOVA) and within-group comparisons (correlation) (P < 0.05). Results: Adolescents were less accurate in their estimation of the task duration. The adolescents' overestimation of task duration of the 4-km time trial was accompanied by pacing behavior characteristics resembling a longer trial (i.e., more even power output distribution, lower RPE, more pronounced end-spurt). Contrary to the adults, the adolescents deviated relatively more from the goal velocity during the 7-min submaximal trial, when no additional feedback was provided by the researcher. Within the adolescent group, estimation of task duration accuracy (r = 0.48) and adherence to goal velocity (r = 0.59) correlated with age. Conclusions: The (meta-) cognitive functions involved in the preexercise planning and the monitoring and adaptation of the distribution of effort during exercise underpin the development of pacing behavior during adolescence. Feedback from the (social) environment can be used to aid the monitoring and adaptation of effort expenditure in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Self-regulation of effort during exercise (i.e. pacing) is a determinant of exercise performance, which develops during childhood and adolescence. Yet, the various aspects of pacing under development, such as the capability to use task experience and retain the task goal in the presence of other competitors, have remained relatively unexplored., Methods: 9 adolescents (14.9 ± 2.1 years old) and 14 adults (24.2 ± 3.2 years old) completed four 4-km cycling trials in a well-controlled laboratory setting. After one familiarization visit, trials were performed in random order: alone, with the goal to finish the trial as fast as possible (AloneTime), with a competitor and the same goal (CompTime), or with a competitor and the goal to finish first (CompFirst). Within each age group, repeated measurement ANOVAs (p < 0.05) examined the differences in the estimated task duration, pacing behavior (distribution of mean power output per 500 m) and performance (finish time) between visits (4) or conditions (3)., Results: In contrast to adults (p < 0.05, η 2 p > 0.20), adolescents did not exhibit a change in estimation of task duration, pacing behavior or performance over repeated visits (p > 0.05, η 2 p < 0.10). Adolescents altered their pacing behavior in the presence of a competitor independent of the task goal (CompTime & CompFirst), whereas adults only demonstrated this alteration when instructed to finish first (CompFirst)., Conclusions: Adolescents are still developing the capability to 1) use experience from previous tasks to adjust their pacing behavior, and 2) inhibit the intuitive action of engaging with the competitor to retain the more abstract task goal of finishing the trial as fast as possible. These findings establish novel experimental evidence for the underpinnings of pacing behavior development., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest and Funding Source: The authors do not have any conflict of interest. The authors received no specific funding for this work., (Copyright © 2024 by the American College of Sports Medicine.)