Effects of Motivational Self-Talk on Endurance and Cognitive Performance in the Heat.

Purpose: We tested the effectiveness of a two-week motivational self-talk (MST) intervention - specific to heat tolerance - on endurance capacity and cognitive function in the heat. Methods: Eighteen trained male (n=14) and female (n=4) cyclists randomly received two weeks of MST training (n=9) or a control regimen (CON, n=9). The experimental protocol was a PRE/POST design consisting of 30 min of cycling at 60% peak power output (PPO) in the heat (35[degrees]C, 50% relative humidity, ~3.0 m[middle dot]s-1 airflow), a 30 min rest period, followed by a time to exhaustion (TTE) test at 80% PPO, and an identical rest period. Executive function, reaction time, and working memory were tested at baseline and each rest period. Key measures included TTE, speed and accuracy on the cognitive tests, rectal temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption, and rating of perceived exertion. Results: Group (MST vs. CON) x test (PRE vs. POST) x time repeated measures ANOVA revealed that MST significantly increased TTE from PRE (487+/-173 s) to POST (679+/-251 s, p = 0.021) concurrent with a higher terminating rectal temperature (PRE: 38.5 +/- 0.2[degrees]C, POST: 38.8 +/- 0.4[degrees]C, p=0.023; no TTE (PRE: 531+/-178 s, POST: 510+/-216 s, p = 0.28) or rectal temperature (PRE: 38.4 +/- 0.3[degrees]C, POST 38.4 +/- 0.2[degrees]C, p=1.000) changes were found in CON. MST significantly improved both speed and accuracy for executive function from PRE/POST, with no PRE/POST differences for CON on any cognitive measure. There were no interactions (all p > 0.05) for other key measures. Conclusion: Motivational self-talk is effective in altering the internal psychophysiological control of exercise and plays a role in improving endurance capacity and executive function in the heat. (C) 2016 American College of Sports Medicine

from Sports Medicine via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2ce5t1q
via IFTTT