Stress reactivity to and recovery from a standardised exercise bout: a study of 31 runners practising relaxation techniques
Erik Ekker Solberg, Frank Ingjer, Are Holen, Jorunn Kaiander Sundgot-Borgen, S Nilsson, Ingar Holme
British journal of sports medicine August 1, 2000 DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.34.4.268 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 31 |
| Population | Adult male runners |
| Interventions | Meditation Autogenic training |
| Duration | 6 months |
| Measures | blood lactate concentration, heart rate, oxygen consumption (VO2), State anxiety |
| Citations | 52 |
| Key findings | After six months, meditation training was associated with a significantly lower post-exercise blood lactate response than in controls, whereas autogenic training showed no such difference. No significant group differences appeared for heart rate, oxygen consumption, or anxiety. The authors conclude that meditation may reduce the lactate response to a standardized exercise bout. |
Abstract
Objective: To compare the efficacy in runners of two relaxation techniques with regard to exercise reactivity and recovery after exercise.
Methods: Thirty one adult male runners were studied prospectively for six months in three groups practising either meditation (n = 11) or autogenic training (n = 11) or serving as controls (n = 10). Before and after the six months relaxation intervention, indicators of reactivity to exercise and metabolism after exercise (blood lactate concentration, heart rate (HR), and oxygen consumption (VO2)), were tested immediately after and 10 minutes after exercise. Resting HR was also assessed weekly at home during the trial. State anxiety was measured before and after the intervention.
Results: After the relaxation training, blood lactate concentration after exercise was significantly (p<0.01) decreased in the meditation group compared with the control group. No difference was observed in lactate responses between the autogenic training group and the control group. There were no significant differences among the groups with regard to HR, VO2, or levels of anxiety.
Conclusion: Meditation training may reduce the lactate response to a standardised exercise bout.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Reducción de los Niveles de Estrés Docente y los Días de Baja Laboral por Enfermedad en Profesores de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria a través de un Programa de Entrenamiento en Mindfulness Clínica y Salud 2011
- Effects of an 8-week Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment intervention on competitive anxiety, mindfulness, and 200-m sprint performance in junior female sprinters: a quasi-experimental study Sport Sciences for Health September 1, 2026
- METODOLOGÍA EN BASE A NEUROEDUCACIÓN PARA FUTUROS DOCENTES. APLICACIÓN DEL MINDFULNESS EN PROCESOS DE ENSEÑANZAAPRENDIZAJE Journal of Engineering Research May 3, 2023
- A meta-analysis of the intervention effect of mindfulness training on athletes’ performance Frontiers in Psychology May 31, 2024
- Effects of Mindfulness for Performance Programme on Actual Performance in Ecological Sport Context: Two Studies in Basketball and Table Tennis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health October 10, 2022
and 2 more in the library
Cites 3
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- Meditation: a modulator of the immune response to physical stress? A brief report. British journal of sports medicine December 1995
- Overview: clinical and physiological comparison of meditation with other self-control strategies. American Journal of Psychiatry March 1982