Focused Attention Meditation as a Pre-Exercise Strategy for Reducing Anxiety in Speed Skaters.
Yosuke Tomita, Mari Yokoo, Kaori Shimoda, Tomoki Iizuka, Eikichi Sakamoto, Koichi Irisawa, Fusae Tozato, Kenji Tsuchiya
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) January 11, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/s26020475
Summary
Focused attention meditation dramatically reduced anxiety in 26 speed skaters facing high-intensity intermittent training. This pre-exercise strategy significantly lowered state anxiety (effect size = 0.527) compared to random thinking. While controlled breathing primarily influenced heart rate variability (effect size = 0.736), neither intervention hindered subsequent exercise physiology or performance during the intense training. Focused attention meditation offers a practical way to manage anxiety without compromising athletic output.
Abstract
Anxiety is a common psychological challenge among athletes, particularly in response to intense training sessions. This randomized crossover study investigated the immediate effects of a single session of focused attention meditation on anxiety, autonomic responses, and performance during high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) in twenty-six university-level speed skaters. Participants completed three pre-exercise interventions (focused attention meditation, controlled breathing, and random thinking) on separate occasions in a randomized order. Following each intervention, participants performed a leg cycling-based HIIT protocol consisting of 20 s of maximal effort work followed by 10 s of passive rest, repeated for 8 sets using a cycling ergometer. State anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and mood disturbance was evaluated using the Profile of Mood States. Autonomic and physiological responses were assessed via heart rate variability (coefficient of variation), oxygen uptake, and power output, measured before and after the intervention and the HIIT bout. Focused attention meditation significantly reduced state anxiety compared with random thinking (ΔSTAI: -5.0 [6.0] vs. -1.0 [4.3]; p < 0.05, effect size = 0.527), whereas controlled breathing primarily influenced heart rate variability (CV: 0.10 [0.11] vs. 0.07 [0.03]; p = 0.041, effect size = 0.736). No significant differences were observed among conditions in mean power output or fatigue index during HIIT. These findings suggest that single-session focused attention meditation may serve as a practical pre-exercise strategy for an immediate reduction in state anxiety, without compromising subsequent high-intensity exercise performance.