Liutkute, G. (Gabija) (2021) The Effects of an Opponent in Mentally Fatigued Cyclists. thesis, Sport Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Introduction: The present study aimed to find out whether mental fatigue (MF) and the presence of an opponent manifest their effects through the same underlying mechanisms and if they do, to what extent they interact with each other. Methods: Five well-trained male British cyclists (37.6 ± 9.3 years) performed five 16.1-km time trials (TTs) in a laboratory setting. After a familiarization TT (FAM), participants performed four experimental TTs in randomized order 1) with no opponent and no MF (TTALONE), 2) with a virtual opponent (TTOPP), 3) with MF (TTMF), and 4) with MF and an OPP (TTMF_OPP). MF was induced with a 40-min Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) task in the two intervention trials. Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests were used to examine the main effects of MF, opponent and interaction of the two on race finish times, average power outputs (POavg) and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Results: MF did not show an effect on performance when athletes cycled alone (p > .05). An opponent had a significant effect on POavg (p = .04, r = .6), leading to a meaningful decrease in mean finish time (-5.9%). When cyclists raced the same opponent while mentally fatigued, no changes in performance were observed (p > .05). Conclusion: The present study is among the first to investigate the interaction between an opponent and mental fatigue in laboratory-based conditions. Although our study was underpowered, findings suggest that MF does not hinder endurance performance per se, but that it may interfere with processing of other environmental cues, which can otherwise be beneficial for an athlete’s performance. Keywords: mental fatigue, opponent, cycling, endurance, performance
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Elferink-Gemser, dr. M. and Hettinga, prof. dr. F. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 13 May 2022 12:31 |
| Last Modified: | 13 May 2022 12:31 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3305 |
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