As ischaemic preconditioning continues to show promise in the laboratory environment, more organisations may look to employ it in applied performance settings. However, there are some key questions that are yet to be answered including: What is the effect of IPC when combined with other performance-enhancing ergogenic aids (caffeine, beetroot juice etc.)? What effect does IPC have on truly elite individuals when performing specific performance tasks? Research groups may look to employ IPC interventions with development squads, where there may be a greater margin for testing new performance-enhancing strategies prior to competitions. Until data are collected in these more elite populations, it is only possible to speculate on how and when IPC might be used in the elite setting. Current scientific data suggest competitors in apnoeic sports may likely benefit from this intervention, with research to date focusing on competition-specific performance tasks. While observations such as improved cycling time to exhaustion tasks provide promising insight to altered physiological capacity, that in itself may not carry enough specificity to support the use of IPC in land-based athletes (cyclists and runners) prior to important competitions.
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