Effects of a N95 Respirator vs Cloth Mask on Exercise Capacity During Treadmill Exercise.

This study intends to find out how a cloth mask may impact exercise capacity, to provide guidance for exercisers to adjust their expectations and training accordingly. The investigators plan to asses exercise capacity through estimated peak oxygen consumption (eVO2peak), oxygen saturation and level of perceived exertion during treadmill based exercise while wearing a cloth mask compared to exercising without a cloth mask. The potential significance of this study is to determine if subjects can exercise safely and if their exercise training needs to be adjusted while following the current recommendations of wearing a cloth mask in public. The degree of airflow limitation experienced will depend on the type and fit of the mask being worn, and inadequeate airflow could possibly result in CO2 re-breathing if all air was not fully discharged from the mask with each breath. This re-breathing of CO2 could potentially limit the workload leading to a detriment in performance, and increase in adverse symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain or shortness of breath that does not improve with rest.