Ischemic Pre-Conditioning
and Athletic Performance
Hirofumi Tanaka, Ph.D.
Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory
Department of Kinesiology & Health Education
The University of Texas at Austin
Athletes and Competitive
Advantage
Ergogenic Aids
Oxygen Inhalation
Nasal Strip
Compression Sleeves
Eye Black
Ischemic Preconditioning
• ↑ Endothelial function
• ↑ Resistance to hypoxic injury
• ↑ Ischemic tolerance
↑
Olympic Marathon
270 yard
Gold
2:06:32
Silver 2:07:16
Bronze 2:10:00
0.5%
0.7 mile
2.7%
Usain Bolt in Beijing Olympics
Gold
9.69 2.0%
Silver 9.89
Bronze 9.91
2.3%
Treatment Effects and Measurement
Variabilities
Different Perspective
Ischemic Preconditioning and
VO2max
Young healthy well-trained subjects
De Groot et al. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010
Ischemic Preconditioning and
VO2max
56.8±6.8
58.4±6.2
↑3%
De Groot et al. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010
Ischemic Preconditioning and
Endurance
Young healthy trained men
RIP:
Ischemic preconditioning
at rest
EIP:
Ischemic preconditioning
after 5-min exercise
(larger metabolic load)
Crisafulli et al. J Appl Physiol. 2011
Ischemic Preconditioning and
VO2max
Crisafulli et al. J Appl Physiol. 2011
Ischemic Preconditioning and
5 km Running Trial
⬆2.5%
Young healthy
trained men
4 x 5-min 220
mmHg bilateral leg
occlusion
22.6±2.4 min
22.0±1.9 min
Bailey et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012
Ischemic Preconditioning and
VO2max
VO2max (ml/kg/min)
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
Control
IPC
Bailey et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012
Ischemic Preconditioning and 100m
Swimming Performance
Canadian nationallevel swimmers (13-27
years)
IPC, 40-45 min warmup, time trial
⬆0.7 sec or 1%
66.98±21.28
66.28±21.08
Jean-St-Michel et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011
Michael Phelps vs. Milorad Cavic
in 100m Butterfly
Gold 50.58
0.02%
Silver 50.59
8th
51.12
2.5%
Michael Phelps
-18 Olympic Gold Medals-
Wingate Anaerobic Power Test
Wingate Anaerobic Power Test
• Peak power output
• Average power output
(anaerobic capacity)
• Fatigue Index = (Peak - End)
Peak
Experimental Protocol
Rest
Remote IPC
Wingate Tests
1
0
10
20
30
40
55
Time (min)
2
57.5
3
60
4
62.5
65
Wingate Anaerobic Power Test
Peak Power Output
Peak Power (W)
800
700
Sham
*
Treatment
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Wingate 1
Wingate 2
Wingate 3
Trial
Wingate 4
Average Power (W/kg)
Average Power Output
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Sham
†
Treatment
Wingate 1
Wingate 2
Wingate 3
Trial
Wingate 4
Fatigue Index (%)
Fatigue Index
90
80
Sham
Treatment
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Wingate 1
Wingate 2
Trial
Wingate 3
Wingate 4
Conclusions
• Ischemic preconditioning appears to be an
effective ergogenic aid to enhance both
anaerobic and aerobic athletic performance.
• The effects of ischemic preconditioning on
maximal aerobic fitness remain controversial.
• The application of ischemic preconditioning to
athletes is a promising area that requires more
investigations.
Ischemic Preconditioning and 5km
Running Trial
Bailey et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012
RIPC on Infarction Size in Mouse
Hearts
Infarct size is expressed as a %
of area at risk.
The black bar - mice perfused
with dialysate from control
subjects (n = 4).
The white bar - mice perfused
with dialysate from elite
swimmers (n = 9).
Jean-St-Michel et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011
Ischemic Preconditioning on
Phosphagens
Pasdois et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2012