Effets d'un programme de 8 semaines de temps brefs de pleine conscience combiné à un entraînement en course à pied sur la performance et la santé des coureurs: un essai contrôlé randomisé.

Abstract

International audienceINTRODUCTIONThe impact of Mindfulness Meditation (MM) during Physical Activity (PA) have been well documented.1 However, these studies2,3 have often focused on the response of MM when the intensity of PA was low. Interventions addressing the influence of MM when PA intensities are typically experienced by athletes in sports club are lacking in the literature.1 The main goal of this study was to evaluate the influences of brief MM in trained runners on Intermittent Maximum Speed (IMS), Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Fat Mass (FM) and Physical Fitness (PF) level.METHODSFifty-four trained athletes were randomized in a control group or a brief MM group following the same running training program including high intensities. They performed at 3 times: baseline (T0), 4 (T4) and 8 weeks (T8) after baseline IMS test (i.e., 45’’- 15’’ of Gacon).4 The RPE scale of Borg (RPE6-20) was documented at each stage of the IMS test. As an indicator of HRV, the Root Mean Square of Successive R-R interval Differences (RMSSD) was measured using the Polar® V800 (Polar® Electro OY; Kempele, Finland) during 5 minutes in a supine position before the IMS test. The FM using the Biody Xpert® (Aminostats Bio-ZM II, Aminogram, La Ciotat, France) and PF level with the Diagnoform® Actif (IRFO, Loos, France) were measured at T0 and T8. A 2-way repeated measures ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA) was conducted for each outcome. A Bonferroni post-hoc test was realized when significant differences were noted.RESULTSA decrease of IMS was reported for the control group between T0 and T8 (p = 0.004) whereas a stagnation was observed for the brief MM group (p = 0.056). The speed reached at RPE13, RPE15 and RPE17 decreased with time (p ≤ 0.05). No statistical differences were detected for RMSSD (p = 0.681). FM and PF level increased between T0 and T8 (p ≤ 0.01).CONCLUSIONBrief MM combined with a running program does not seem to have an impact on RPE, HRV, FM and PF level in trained runners. According to speed performance, the decrease observed for the control group on IMS could be partly explained by the high training load at this time of year for athletes. The stagnation of IMS for the brief MM group might be illustrated by the development of psychological skills (e.g., awareness of one’s sensations, acceptance and refocusing) allowing the athletes to regulate their speed during the training according to hisown sensations. More studies with a larger sample size need to be conducted to confirm our results.ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The authors are grateful to Alycia BACHA, Marie BOCHUN, Raymond BARBRY and Amandine DAUBRESSE.REFERENCES1. French & Cox (2021). doi :10.1093/oso/9780197512494.003.00162. Yang et al. (2018). doi :10.1123/japa.2017-03903. Cox et al. (2020). doi :10.1037/spy00001924. Assadi & Lepers R. (2012). doi :10.1123/ijspp.7.3.27