High-intensity exercise induces the accumulation of hydrogen ions, resulting in a decrease in plasma and muscle pH (i.e., metabolic acidosis), a key mechanism contributing to fatigue. Alleviating metabolic acidosis is crucial for improving high-intensity exercise performance. Voluntary hyperventilation increases carbon dioxide (CO2) elimination, reduces arterial CO2 partial pressure (hypocapnia), and an increase in plasma pH (i.e., respiratory alkalosis). Pre-exercise voluntary hypocapnic hyperventilation is a potentially effective intervention for alleviating metabolic acidosis and has been proposed to enhance exercise performance during cycling and resistance exercise. Furthermore, this technique may reduce aerobic metabolism while increasing anaerobic metabolism by decreasing active skeletal muscle blood flow and inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation during subsequent exercise. According to the overload principle, stimulating the anaerobic energy system during each high-intensity training session can improve its capacity, ultimately enhancing high-intensity exercise performance. High-intensity exercise performed under hypoxic conditions such as using hypoxic chambers or hypoxic gas inhalation, has traditionally been employed to stimulate anaerobic metabolism more effectively than normoxic environments. However, such hypoxic interventions are often inaccessible to many athletes due to logistical constraints. This short review highlights recent findings on the acute effects of pre-exercise voluntary hypocapnic hyperventilation on exercise performance and metabolic responses during high-intensity exercise.
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