EFFECTS OF TRAINING MASK ON HEART RATE AND ANXIETY DURING THE GRADED EXERCISE TEST AND RECOVERY

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of training mask on heart rate (HR) and related anxiety during Graded Exercise Exercise (GXT). Six volunteer participants (age 20,5 ± 0,5 yrs, height 181,8 ± 5,5 cm, weight 74,5 ± 7 kg, BMI 22,51 ± 0,81) have been included in the study. PARQ and ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) risk factor analysis have been made to all of the participants before the tests. Only healthy experimental subjects have been included in the study. The participants have been randomly separated into two groups (A, B) including 3 people. On the first day of the test, Group A completed the test with the training mask (TM) while the Group B completed it without training mask (NTM). Two days later, the groups were changed and they repeated the tests (Crossover Design). GXT have been applied to the participants on the treadmill until they got exhausted. During the 5-minute recovery time given after the end of GXT, HR variables have been measured. At the end of recovery, Becks Anxiety Inventory (BAI) has been implemented. In order to determine the differences came out at the measurements made after TM and NTM exercises, non-parametric t-test has been used and the confidence interval has been taken as p˂0,05. At the end of GXT and the following 5-minute recovery time, a significant difference has been found in HR variables between both groups (p˂, 005). The termination process of the test with TM has been 2.45% earlier (from 15.02 sec. to 14.49 sec.) than the NTM group and HR average at the end of recovery period has been found 9.12% lower than NTM group. In addition to this, there is no significant difference between anxiety total scores of the two groups (p˃, 005). As a conclusion, while low HR averages of TM group can be explained as CO₂ diaspora, it can be figured that the similarity in terms of anxiety levels between the groups has resulted from the fact that the running test has been finished up to the participation own decision.