Effects of sprint training using a surgical mask on repeated-sprint ability in ultimate frisbee players

Poster

Abstract

Purpose: Ultimate frisbee is a high-intensity intermittent sport, in which both aerobic and anaerobic capacities are important to optimize the performance (Palmer et al. 2020). Therefore, it may be useful for players to train under hypoxic conditions. An easy and low-priced way to induce hypoxia appears to be the use of surgical masks during training (Egger et al. 2021). The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of a 6-week sprint training program, performed with or without wearing a surgical mask during the sprinting bouts, on repeated-sprint ability (RSA) in competitive female ultimate frisbee players.

Methods: 9 elite (1^st italian league) female ultimate frisbee players were involved (age: 19.8 ± 3.0 years; height: 166.8 ± 6.8 cm; weight: 58.2 ± 6 kg). All athletes were tested 1) before (T₀) and after (T₁) a 6-week period of normal sprint training, constituted by short and long sprints performed without wearing any mask, and 2) before (T₂) and after (T₃) 6 weeks of sprint training, where training volume and exercises were identical to the previous program and the athletes wore a surgical mask during the sprinting bouts, but not during the recovery phases between sprints. A 6 x 20+20m sprinting test was performed at any time point. Velocity of the fastest sprint (RSA_BEST), average velocity (RSA_MEAN), and percentage decrement (RSA_DEC) across sprints, were examined. Between T₁ and T₂, there was a 6-week detraining period for all athletes.

Results: At T₁, as compared with T₀, RSA_BEST showed a significant (p<0.05) increase of +0.43km/h (+2.43%, ES= 0.74), while RSA_DEC showed an almost significant (p= 0.06) increase of 1.01% (ES= 0.76). RSA_MEAN showed no significant (p>0.05) increase 0.23km/h (+1,35%, ES= 0.42). At T₃, as compared with T₂, RSA_BEST and RSA_MEAN showed significant (p<0.05) increases of respectively +0.36km/h (+2%) and +0.54 (+3,17%), with effect sizes of 0.72 and 1.09, while RSA_DEC showed no significant (p>0.05) decrease -1.1%, ES= 0.56. Between the two training periods, there was a significant (p<0.05) difference in the variation of RSA_DEC (ES= 1.86), while no significant (p>0.05) differences were observed in the improvement of RSA_BEST and RSA_MEAN (ES= 0.24 and 0.77, respectively).

Conclusions: The results suggest that wearing a surgical mask during sprint bouts, and not during the recovery phase, can be an effective way to train ultimate frisbee players because, compared to standard sprint training, this methodology is able to improve RSA_DEC without impairing the improvement in RSA_BEST, and to improve RSA_MEAN by a greater extent than standard sprint training. This could probably be due to a state of hypoxia induced by the surgical mask, that stimulates the anaerobic metabolism during sprints, while generating a great oxygen deficit that stimulates the aerobic metabolism during the recovery phase. It must be noted though that all athletes perceived higher exertion after training with mask as compared to the standard sprint training, so the use of surgical masks during training must be planned accordingly.

KEY WORDS: ultimate frisbee, surgical mask, face mask, hypoxia, repeated-sprint ability, sprint training, team-sports, anaerobic, aerobic metabolism, competitive players