The Physiological and Perceived Impact of Wearing a Face Mask During Maximal Exercise

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the expectation of facemasks in fitness facilities during exercise. However, the physiological and perceptual responses of wearing a facemask during exercise has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of facemasks on selected physiological and subjective variables during exercise.  Using a crossover design, males (n =8) and females (n=7) and were randomly assigned to (1) a surgical facemask, (2) a cloth face mask, and (3) no mask and completed Bruce Protocol maximal graded treadmill tests 48 hrs apart. Collected data included heart rate (HR), oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2), rating of perceived dyspnea (DYS), perceived rate of exertion (RPE) and time to exhaustion (TTE). No significant (p>0.05) differences were found for HR or SpO2 at any of the treadmill stages. DYS was higher with both masks compared to no mask, but only significant (p < 0.05) between the cloth and no mask conditions in stages 2 and 3. RPE was greater in both mask conditions compared to no masks, but only significantly greater between the cloth mask and no mask conditions in stage 3. No significant differences were found for TTE among the conditions. Wearing face masks during exercise and has little effect on HR, SpO2, or TTE. However, facemasks may negatively influence DYS and RPE contributing to feelings of exhaustion. Participants should be made aware that the discomfort of wearing a mask during exercise will not hamper performance

Effects of a Respiratory Resistance Mask on Forced Expiratory Volume at 1s (FEV1), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and the Ratio of FEV1/FVC Lung Function following High Intensity Training (HIT)

Training masks (TMs), marketed as simulated altitude training devices, suggest increased workout capacity, intensity tolerance and recovery. The claim is that the training mask improves respiratory power and breathing mechanics by strengthening the respiratory muscles through breathing resistance provided by the TM. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a commercially manufactured TM in conjunction with bicycle ergometry, high intensity training (HIT) on selected lung function parameters. Volunteers (N=16) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group wore the TM with progressive increased respiratory resistance and the control group wore the TM with no respiratory resistance. To determine lung function, pre- and post-test assessments consisted of forced expiratory volume at 1s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), the ratio of FEV1/FVC. Additionally, to determine the TMs effectiveness of maximal oxygen consumption pre- and post-time to failure during a maximum treadmill test was performed. Training was completed on a cycle ergometer on 3d/wk for 4 wks. Participants exercised at 85% of HRmax with a pedal rate of 100-120 rpm at individually set resistance levels. Training sessions consisted of 10 bouts of 30s exercise followed by 30s of active recovery for a total time of 10 minutes. The respiratory resistance for the experimental group progressively increased over the training period. Repeated measures ANOVAs yielded significant between group difference in FVC (p = 0.02) but not for FEV1 or maximum treadmill time. In conclusion, TMs in combination with HIT failed to improve lung function but created sufficient resistance to strengthen the muscles in respiratory ventilation

Comparison of Physiological Responses and Perceived Respiratory Resistance Among Mask Usage During Exercise

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of a face mask in public is recommended when social distancing cannot be maintained to decrease the spread of the virus with many fitness facilities requiring their patrons to wear a face mask during exercise. The physiological response of wearing a face mask during exercise is relatively unknown and is speculated among the media resulting in contradicting messages conveyed to the public PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if a face mask influenced performance (time to exhaustion), physiological responses (heart rate, oxyhemoglobin saturation and temperature) and subjective measurements such as dyspnea, perceived respiratory resistance, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during exercise. METHODS: Fifteen healthy males (n =8) and females (n=7) completed three graded exercise treadmill tests with (1) a surgical face mask, (2) a cloth face mask, and (3) no mask randomly with at least 48hrs apart. Heart rate (HR), oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2), temperature, RPE, dyspnea, was measured throughout exercise. Participants rated their perceived respiratory resistance for each condition at rest, beginning of exercise, and at fatigue using a 100 mm visual analog scale. RESULTS: Significant differences (p \u3c 0.05) were observed in perceived respiratory resistance between no mask and both surgical and cloth conditions at rest (1.55 ± 2.34mm; 6.33 ± 6.11mm; 9.67 ± 10.77mm respectively) and at the beginning of exercise (5.93 ± 6.64mm; 15.47 ± 12.56mm; 21.07± 15.04mm respectively). During stage 3 of the exercise test, the no mask condition had a significantly lower RPE compared to the cloth mask condition (13.22 ± 2.14;14.60 ± 2.13 respectively). Time to exhaustion was similar for all conditions (mask: 11:51 ± 2:31min; cloth: 11:16 ± 2:24min; surgical: 11:32 ± 2:23min). At all times points, there was no significant (p \u3e 0.05) difference between the conditions for HR, SpO2, temperature, and dyspnea. CONCLUSION: Wearing either a surgical or cloth face mask is safe during exercise in healthy adults and has no effect on HR, SpO2, or body temperature. It appears that wearing a face mask may have a minor influence on subjective measurements such as perceived respiratory resistance or RPE during exercise