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Changes in Ventilatory Response to Exercise in Trained Athletes: Respiratory Physiological Benefits Beyond
Adriano di Paco1, Bruno-Pierre Dubé2, Pierantonio Laveneziana3
1Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Weaning Center, Auxilium Vitae, Volterra, Pisa, Italia; Rehabilitation Bioengineering Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and Auxilium Vitae, Volterra, Pisa, Italia.
Introduction:
The beneficial impact of an 8-month competitive season on the ventilatory profile response to exercise in soccer players has never been evaluated.
Material And Methods:
Ventilatory profile (evaluated by determining individual tidal volume [VT] relative to minute ventilation [VE] inflection points during exercise) and metabolic responses to incremental exercise were evaluated in 2 professional soccer teams before and after an 8-month competitive season.
Results:
No differences between teams in anthropometric characteristics or in resting cardiopulmonary variables, included oxygen uptake (VO2) and heart rate (HR), before and during the competitive season were found. At iso-speed, there were overall improvements in carbon dioxide output (VCO2), VE/VO2, VE/VCO2, VE and respiratory frequency (fR) during the season. The VT/VE inflection points 1 and 2 occurred with greater exercise time, HR, VO2, VCO2, VE and VT during the competitive season.
Conclusions:
Despite very high baseline performance and a negligible improvement in VO2, an 8-month competitive season improved ventilatory profile response to exercise in elite athletes.