Three Weeks Of Mental Strength Training Improves Cycling Performance By Changing Key Physiological Parameters

Abstract

Short-term grit and resilience training, as well as internal self-talk training have increased physical performance. However, little is known about longer mental training. PURPOSE: Perform 21 days of mental training to observe how performance and physiological variables change. METHODS: Participants were 33 college-aged (16 mental strength (MS), 17 control (CON)) individuals (20.7 +/- 1.2yrs, weight 72.3 ± 9.3kg, height 1.77 ± .09m, VO2peak 47.9 ± 9.3mL/kg/min). A VO2peak was performed on a cycle ergometer on day one. Subsequent visits consisted of time trials to exhaustion (TTE) performed 10% above ventilatory threshold. MS groups watched one of four 10-minute videos daily for 21 days. VO2, ventilation (VE), respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV), heart rate (HR), RPE, and VAS scores (0-100) for pain and fatigue were recorded during pre- and post-time trials. Participants took GRIT-S and CD-Risc psychological surveys before pre- and post-TTE. RM-ANOVA were done to compare group, time, and trial differences as a percentage of total time as well as absolute times (0-3 minutes). RESULTS: TTE significantly increased for MS (8.8 ± 13.2%) and decreased for CON (-6.6 ± 14.6%, p < 0.05). VO2, VE, RPE, fatigue, and pain as a percentage of total time were unchanged. HR was significantly higher after 21 days of MS compared to CON at 40, 60, 80, and 100% of TTE (p < 0.05). When compared at absolute times, there were significant decreases in VO2 at minute 3 (p < 0.05) and VE at minute 2 and 2.5 (p < 0.05). RR was lower following MS (p < 0.05) though there was no difference in TV. There was a trial x group interaction in RPE (F(1,25) = 4.823, p < 0.05) with MS experiencing a decrease in RPE after training. CONCLUSION: MS training for three weeks allowed participants to cycle longer before exhaustion. HR increased as a percentage of TT time post-MS training, perhaps due to increased duration post-TTE leading to measuring HR at later absolute times. By measuring HR later, metabolites would be expected to be higher, thus increasing HR. Decreases in VE and RR may be due to one of the mental strategies that involved instruction to reduce stress and anxiety by taking deeper and slower breaths, which may contribute to a reduced perception of effort. Finally, MS training reduced O2 consumption, contributing to a decreased RPE and increased TTE duration.