Objectives To (1) determine if wearing a cloth face mask significantly affected exercise performance and associated physiological responses, and (2) describe perceptual measures of effort and participants’ experiences while wearing a face mask during a maximal treadmill test. Methods Randomised controlled trial of healthy adults aged 18–29 years. Participants completed two (with and without a cloth face mask) maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPETs) on a treadmill following the Bruce protocol. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, exertion and shortness of breath were measured. Descriptive data and physical activity history were collected pretrial; perceptions of wearing face masks and experiential data were gathered immediately following the masked trial. Results The final sample included 31 adults (age=23.2±3.1 years; 14 women/17 men). Data indicated that wearing a cloth face mask led to a significant reduction in exercise time (−01:39±01:19 min/sec, p<0.001), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) (−818±552 mL/min, p<0.001), minute ventilation (−45.2±20.3 L/min), maximal heart rate (−8.4±17.0 beats per minute, p<0.01) and increased dyspnoea (1.7±2.9, p<0.001). Our data also suggest that differences in SpO2 and rating of perceived exertion existed between the different stages of the CPET as participant’s exercise intensity increased. No significant differences were found between conditions after the 7-minute recovery period. Conclusion Cloth face masks led to a 14% reduction in exercise time and 29% decrease in VO2max, attributed to perceived discomfort associated with mask-wearing. Compared with no mask, participants reported feeling increasingly short of breath and claustrophobic at higher exercise intensities while wearing a cloth face mask. Coaches, trainers and athletes should consider modifying the frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise when wearing a cloth face mask. Data are available upon reasonable request per institutional policy.

中文翻译：

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分级跑步机跑步运动测试期间佩戴布口罩对表现、生理和感知反应的影响

目标 (1) 确定佩戴布口罩是否会显着影响运动表现和相关的生理反应，以及 (2) 描述在最大跑步机测试期间佩戴口罩时的努力感知测量和参与者的体验。方法 对 18-29 岁健康成年人进行随机对照试验。参与者按照布鲁斯方案在跑步机上完成了两次（带和不带布面罩）最大心肺运动测试（CPET）。测量血压、心率、血氧饱和度、运动量和呼吸短促。审前收集描述性数据和体力活动史；在蒙面试验后立即收集了戴口罩的看法和经验数据。结果 最终样本包括 31 名成年人（年龄=23.2±3.1 岁；14 名女性/17 名男性）。数据表明，佩戴布口罩可显着减少运动时间（−01:39±01:19 分钟/秒，p<0.001）、最大耗氧量（VO2max）（−818±552 mL/min，p <0.001）、每分钟通气量（−45.2±20.3 L/min）、最大心率（−8.4±17.0 次/分钟，p<0.01）和呼吸困难增加（1.7±2.9，p<0.001）。我们的数据还表明，随着参与者运动强度的增加，CPET 的不同阶段之间存在 SpO2 和感知运动评级的差异。7 分钟恢复期后，条件之间没有发现显着差异。结论 布口罩导致运动时间减少 14%，最大摄氧量减少 29%，这归因于佩戴口罩带来的不适感。与不戴口罩相比，参与者报告说，戴布口罩时，在较高的运动强度下，他们感到越来越呼吸短促和幽闭恐惧症。教练、训练员和运动员在佩戴布口罩时应考虑调整运动的频率、强度、时间和类型。根据机构政策，可根据合理要求提供数据。