Inspiratory muscles pre-activation in elite swimmers: new insights into physiological and biomechanical responses by wearable and underwater technologies

• Grant number: 25/12339-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Mobility Program: SPRINT - Projetos de pesquisa - Mobilidade
• Principal Investigator: Fúlvia de Barros Manchado Gobatto
• Grantee: Fúlvia de Barros Manchado Gobatto
• Principal researcher abroad: Matteo Cortesi
• Institution abroad: Università di Bologna , Italy
• Principal researcher abroad: Ricardo Augusto Barbieri
• Institution abroad: Università di Bologna , Italy
• Principal researcher abroad: Silvia Fantozzi
• Institution abroad: Università di Bologna , Italy
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas (FCA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Limeira
• Associated researchers: Claudio Alexandre Gobatto ; Marcelo Papoti
• Associated research grant: 23/02728-3 - HYPOXIA AND PHYSICAL TRAINING: IMPLICATIONS ON SPORTS PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH, AP.TEM

Abstract

Legal strategies potentially capable of improving the performance of high-performance athletes have been widely investigated in the literature. In this context, more recently attention has turned to respiratory interventions, such as warming up or inspiratory muscle pre-activation (IMPA) by airflow restriction using portable devices. The inspiratory muscles play an important role during high-intensity physical exercise and in the post-exercise recovery period. The mechanisms that appear to be involved in the effectiveness of stimulating these muscle groups before performing the main physical exercise or sports competition are related to the minimization or delay of the inspiratory metaboreflex, which consequently contributes to a more adequate redistribution of blood flow and oxygen supply from the IM region to the locomotor muscles in the main task. In swimming, the training routine itself contributes to important adaptations in the IM, culminating in higher maximum inspiratory pressure in athletes in this sport compared to others. Thus, the application of IMPA becomes even more important in this modality, as an additional stimulus to these muscles. However, to investigate the effectiveness of this inspiratory strategy in elite swimmers, it is necessary to obtain very precise measurements and with a high frequency of signal capture, since minimal changes in physiological adjustments or biomechanical alterations can impact the performance of these athletes. Thus, the use of wearable and underwater technologies, such as Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure muscle oxygenation in real training and competition conditions, wireless electromyography allocated to different muscle groups and the use of high-resolution underwater cameras for subsequent movement reconstruction and kinematic analysis, among others, can improve the investigation of the effects of IMPA on the performance of elite swimmers. Finally, computational models capable of integrating different signals can also contribute to the detection of changes promoted by the inspiratory strategy in swimmers' performance. In this context, researchers from São Paulo and the University of Bologna - Italy are motivated to combine their expertise and scientific-technological conditions to investigate the effects of IMPA applied to elite swimmers from both countries, aiming at new insights into physiological and biomechanical responses through wearable and underwater technologies. (AU)