Scientific Programme

Applied Sports Sciences

IS-AP06 - Breathing monitoring in sport and exercise: mechanisms, applications and technological solutions

Date: 04.07.2025, Time: 13:00 - 14:15, Session Room: Arengo

Description

Breathing monitoring has a long tradition in laboratory settings, but its importance in applied contexts remains overlooked. Today, we argue that several developments suggest that we should move breathing monitoring out into the field. First, technological innovation currently provides valid and accessible measures of ventilatory variables using wearables suitable for different sport-specific demands. Second, the importance of breathing monitoring during training and competition is supported by evidence showing that breathing frequency is more closely associated with physical effort than oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood lactate. Third, the importance of breathing monitoring is reinforced by our growing understanding of the mechanisms underlying ventilatory control during exercise. This is a fundamental topic that is regaining interest considering new experimental evidence suggesting that breathing frequency and tidal volume are largely modulated by different inputs during exercise. Hence, the opportunity to explore the topic of breathing monitoring from different perspectives is expected to offer an educational advantage to the sports science community. Potential benefits of moving breathing monitoring into practical settings include improved exercise testing, as well as better-informed prescription and monitoring across different sports, populations, and exercise conditions.