These days, many gyms require clients to wear masks or face coverings. The good news: research suggests they don't actually hold up your performance.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan gathered a group of 7 men and 7 women, ranging from slightly inactive to excellent cyclists and tested the effects of wearing a three-layer cloth face mask, a surgical mask, and no mask on their exercise performance.
The study participants started with a brief warm-up on a fixed bike, then took a progressive intensity exercise test, during which it was vital for them to keep the same pedal rate while the resistance was continually increased until exhaustion (疲惫不堪). Something like the heart rate was recorded every 30 seconds.
The results suggested that wearing a mask had no effect on performance or muscle oxygen levels. Since there was no difference in time to exhaustion between conditions, the highest power reached at the end of each test was similar in mask and no-mask conditions for all participants, Professor Chilibeck explained. Researchers also did not see any effects of the masks during exercise on blood oxygen levels, which wouldn't decrease if breathing was not affected.
And while droplet (飞沫) spread was not measured, all masks used were tested in a previous study in which they were shown to effectively minimize droplet spread, according to Chilibeck. Though the participants represented a wide range of fitness levels, it's important to note that these tests were conducted on a very small sample size, and more research is needed on larger populations to draw sweeping conclusions about the general population.
【小题1】How did the researchers draw the conclusion?| A．By conducting an experiment. | B．By making brief analysis. |
| C．By observing normal cyclists. | D．By doing medical tests. |
| A．Your heart rate may keep stable. | B．You might produce less droplet. |
| C．Your blood oxygen levels will drop. | D．You will feel more tired than before. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. | C．Disapproving. | D．Objective. |
| A．Why Should We Train with Masks? |
| B．Why Don't Masks Worsen Our Performance? |
| C．Do Masks Affect Our Performance? |
| D．Can We Train While Wearing Masks? |
