ABSTRACT

　In sports, dealing with the pressure of competition determines winning or losing. Interacting with others while competing affects one's athletic performance, but the associated physiological mechanisms are unclear. This study included 14 healthy adult male participants. We developed a competition that included interacting with other competitors and was simulated using virtual reality （VR）．The pedal speed, cardiovascular responses （blood pressure and heart rate）， and respiratory responses were recorded during cycling exercise tasks at a constant speed （60 rpm）．We observed a significant decrease in cadence（non-competitive = 59.0 ± 4.2 rpm versus competitive = 56.5 ± 6.0 rpm, p = 0.0067） and significant increase in heart rates （non-competitive = 82.5 ± 9.0 bpm versus competitive = 84.1 ± 9.9 bpm, p = 0.04）during the competitive condition（passing/being passed by a competitor） compared to the non-competitive condition （cycling exercise with no competitors）．Participants were classified into two groups: those whose cadence was relatively decreased in competitive conditions （performance-decreased group） and those whose cadence was not （performance-maintained group）．Intriguingly, the cross-correlation coefficient between interacting with others and the respiratory variability was significantly higher in the performance-maintained group （r = 0.44 ± 0.12, p = 0.01） that sustained cadence during the competitive condition compared to the performance-decreased group（r = 0.36 ± 0.03）．These results suggest that exercise performance is affected by competitors but regulating respiratory movements may prevent the performance decline.

DECENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.44/The DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE