Abstract This study sought to establish an optimal inspiratory warm-up (IWU) protocol for elite 400-meter athletes. It addresses the existing gap in sprint-specific research and provides practical applications for coaches and athletes aiming to optimize sprint running performance. Across four weeks, 13 elite male runners (age: 22.7 ± 2, personal best: 50.78 ± 0.65 s) performed four 400-meter time trials after different warm-up protocols in a randomized order. Assessments of various respiratory variables maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR), inhaled volume (IV) and selected physiological indices heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (bLa) were performed before and after the time trials. Analysis of variance with a significance level of p < 0.05 was applied. Incorporating IWU into a standard running warm-up resulted in a ~ 0.38-second faster 400-meter time trial in elite male sprinters ( p < 0.001). The most effective IWU protocols, associated with the fastest run splits, consist of two sets of 30 dynamic inspiratory maneuvers performed with pressure threshold loading at 40% or 60% of MIP resistance. These protocols exhibited a positive influence on selected respiratory indices and significantly lowered post-run lactate concentrations compared to the athletic warm-up and sham protocol. IWU with 40% MIP resistance was associated with lower post-run HR compared to other protocols. IWU using pressure threshold loading at either 40% or 60% of MIP can be beneficial for elite male sprinters. While 40% MIP appears to support faster recovery, a higher intensity at 60% MIP shows greater effectiveness in enhancing 400-meter sprint performance. Future research should explore IWU applications across broader populations and conditions, including female athletes, various hypoxic environments, and temperature variations.
Yılmaz et al. (Thu,) studied this question.