The physiological effects of breath‐holding during high‐intensity exercise
Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological effects of breath‐holding during high‐intensity exercise. Twenty participants (age: 23 ± 4 years, 10 females) performed 20 s sprints of simultaneous arm and leg ergometry exercise, under free‐breathing (FB) and breath‐holding (BH)...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Physiological Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70437 |
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| Summary: | Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological effects of breath‐holding during high‐intensity exercise. Twenty participants (age: 23 ± 4 years, 10 females) performed 20 s sprints of simultaneous arm and leg ergometry exercise, under free‐breathing (FB) and breath‐holding (BH) conditions. Identical power outputs were sustained for both breathing conditions. Heart rate was significantly higher under the breath‐holding condition during exercise (FB = 118 ± 12 bpm versus BH = 131 ± 14 bpm; p < 0.001) but lower for 5 min post‐exercise (FB = 110 ± 16 bpm, BH = 102 ± 15 bpm, p = 0.003). Systolic blood pressure was higher under the breath‐holding condition post‐exercise (FB = 142 ± 18 mmHg, BH = 151 ± 15 mmHg, p = 0.03). Muscle deoxygenated hemoglobin was unchanged between conditions during exercise (FB = 2.7 ± 1.7 μM, BH = 2.6 ± 1.7 μM, p = 0.37) and no difference in post‐exercise blood lactate concentration was observed between conditions (FB = 9.3 ± 3.5 mmol.L−1, BH = 8.2 ± 2.5 mmol.L−1, p = 0.15). End‐tidal partial pressure of oxygen was reduced (FB = 111 ± 11 mmHg, BH = 76 ± 14 mmHg, p < 0.001) and oxygen uptake was increased (FB = 2.36 ± 0.63 L.min−1, BH = 4.52 ± 0.73 L.min−1, p < 0.001) under the breath‐holding condition immediately post‐exercise. Exercise‐induced tachycardia prevailed over apnea‐induced bradycardia during exercise, but residual effects of breath‐holding were evidenced by the observed bradycardia during recovery. These data suggest that intrinsic oxygen stores were sufficient to sustain the aerobic energy contribution during 20 s high‐intensity exercise while breath‐holding. |
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| ISSN: | 2051-817X |