Preliminary data on low peripheral blood oxygen levels induced by physical effort

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Since strength and endurance training has become very popular, we aimed to assess the possibility of hypoxemia determined in peripheral blood during exercise, starting from the hypothesis that a relatively large muscle mass would have a protective effect. Aim: Hypoxemia can cause serious illness and therefore we consider it useful to investigate the occurrence of this phenomenon during exercises of strength or endurance. Methods: The preliminary study was conducted on 8 subjects, both trained and untrained. With a Beurer pulse oximeter, heart rate and oxygen saturation of the capillary blood were measured before, during, and at the end of strength, or endurance or endurance combined with strength training. Results: The results have shown that hypoxemia occurs only under the conditions of high intensity training, which alternates endurance with strength exercises, simultaneously with decreasing heart rate, only in trained subjects and with relatively low muscle mass. Conclusions: The decrease in oxygen saturation in the peripheral blood occurs simultaneously with that of heart rate and it seems that large muscle mass has a protective effect on oxygen desaturation.