Today we'll analyse benefits of aerobic exercises on performance of racing drivers, according to scientific literature
WHAT IS AEROBIC EXERCISE?
Aerobic exercises are activities in which our body uses as main source of energies the oxygen that we bring to it with respiration. Every long lasting physical activity that put your hearth rate between 50 to 80% of HR Max are considered aerobic exercise.
For example low pace running, cycling, swimming or nordic ski are good example of aerobic activities.
Obviously to obtain benefits from this aerobic activities you should practice them at least 2-3 times a week with adequate duration.
THE SCHWABERGER'S STUDY
In 1987 Dr. Schwaberger published a study on racing drivers showing that during a race drivers with higher aerobic fitness (measured with VO2Max) have a lower heart rate in every moment of the race itself. This means that a fitter driver can drive with less effort than a non-fit one and his endurance give him an advantage especially at the end of races.
A lower hearth rate by fitter drivers was actually detected even before the race start, when the adrenaline increases emotional stress. This opens interesting scenarios.
FITTER MEANS MENTALLY CALMER?
There aren't studies on racing drivers about this topic but there are high probabilities that drivers with great aerobic fitness are more mentally relaxed.
In fact, anxiety and emotional stress increase hearth rate and considering their lower HR compered to non-fit drivers this probably means that a good aerobic fitness can help to stay calmer and relaxed during driving.
Supporting this theory we have the fact that exercise reduces mental anxiety.
BDNF INCREASED WITH AEROBIC ACTIVITIES
Aerobic exercise helps also to stimulate in brain the release of BDNF (Brain Derived Neutrophic Factor). This molecule improves cognitive function and brain plasticity, with the potential to boost learning and concentration ability.
SO EVEN SIMRACERS SHOULD TRAIN THEIR STAMINA?
Exercise is always a benefit for mental and physical health and now that we know this relationship between endurance exercise and cognitive function this means that probably simracers can have advantages by practicing moderate aerobic exercise.
Just a tip: acute exercise has even more advantages compared to chronic one, so if you do some exercise before sitting at your driving simulator maybe you'll have some extra mental benefits!
Bibliography
Walsh JJ, Tschakovsky ME. Exercise and circulating BDNF: Mechanisms of release and implications for the design of exercise interventions. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018 Nov;43(11):1095-1104. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0192. Epub 2018 May 18. PMID: 29775542.
Schwaberger G. (1987). Heart rate, metabolic and hormonal responses to maximal psycho-emotional and physical stress in motor car racing drivers. International archives of occupational and environmental health, 59, 579-604.
Kandola A, Stubbs B. Exercise and Anxiety. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020;1228:345-352. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-1792-1_23. PMID: 32342469.
Written by
Enrico Repossi
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