A004: Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Warm-Up on Muscle Oxygenation, Perceived Exertion, and Prefrontal Cortex Activation

With the rapid increase in rowing training load, high subjective load may force athletes to use more nerve impulses and cognitive resources. However, the neural resources of athletes are limited, and being in this state for a long time may have a negative effect, such as reducing information processing ability stability, and even non-contact injury. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a respiratory muscle warm-up intervention on oxygen saturation in the prefrontal lobe and muscles of athletes. A total of 54 participants were recruited for the study, with an average age of 21.35 years. were randomly assigned to one of three groups: IMW, placebo, or blank control. A portable muscle oximeter (Moxy, USA) was employed to monitor the muscle oxygen saturation level throughout the training period. The degree of activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was quantified by means of an oxygenation monitoring system (OctaMon). Concurrently, the CR10 scale was utilized to assess perceived exertion. Following the intervention, a significant difference in CR10 was observed between the various groups. A series of multiple comparisons demonstrated that the CR10 in the IMW group exhibited a significantly lower value than that observed in the placebo and control groups (p < 0.001). Once the baseline values from the pretest had been accounted for, a significant difference in oxygen saturation was observed between the different groups in the bilateral PFC. Subsequent post hoc multiple comparisons revealed that the HbO2 levels in the IMW group were significantly lower than those observed in the other two groups (p=0.019; p=0.035). Following the IMW intervention, the muscle oxygen saturation levels of the biceps brachii and vastus medialis in the subjects were significantly higher than those observed prior to training (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was noted between the two tests in the control group, indicating that the IMW intervention can mitigate the decline in muscle oxygenation during training, alleviate discomfort in the lungs and motor muscles, and regulate subjective load. The implementation of IMW intervention has the potential to mitigate the subjective burden experienced by athletes, thereby reducing discomfort during training. The combination of PFC activation level and muscle oxygen saturation index provides an explanation of the results. Nevertheless, research is required to ascertain whether IMW can have a sustained positive impact.