Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has emerged as a promising intervention for enhancing health- and exercise-related outcomes. Initially recognized in the 1980s and 1990s for its cardioprotective effects in clinical and animal studies, IPC has since garnered attention for its potential ergogenic benefits. Despite growing interest, the underlying physiological mechanisms remain poorly understood, leading to research exploring cause–effect relationship and evaluating IPC efficacy across diverse exercise models, often yielding mixed results. This Leading Article aims to clarify proposed mechanisms by which IPC may enhance athletic performance and facilitate healing effects. Specifically, this Leading Article discusses both the immediate (short-term) and sustained (long-term) effects of IPC. Short-term effects primarily involve acute improvements in vascular function and exercise capacity, while long-term effects may include cumulative benefits such as enhanced recovery, mitigation of exercise-induced muscle damage and adaptative physiological responses. This article highlights the importance of optimizing experimental protocols by extending the time window between IPC application and testing, to maximize performance outcomes, particularly under conditions associated with muscle damage. Future research should prioritize exploring the long-term effects of IPC on performance and recovery to better understand its potential as a reliable ergogenic aid.

缺血预处理 （IPC） 已成为一种很有前途的干预措施，可用于增强健康和运动相关结果。IPC 最初在 1980 年代和 1990 年代因其在临床和动物研究中对心脏保护的作用而受到认可，此后因其潜在的增效益处而受到关注。尽管人们的兴趣越来越大，但对其潜在的生理机制仍然知之甚少，导致研究探索因果关系并评估 IPC 在不同运动模型中的疗效，通常会产生喜忧参半的结果。本领先文章旨在阐明 IPC 可以提高运动表现并促进愈合效果的拟议机制。具体来说，本领先文章讨论了 IPC 的即时（短期）和持续（长期）影响。短期影响主要涉及血管功能和运动能力的急性改善，而长期影响可能包括累积益处，例如加速恢复、减轻运动引起的肌肉损伤和适应性生理反应。本文强调了通过延长 IPC 应用和测试之间的时间窗口来优化实验方案的重要性，以最大限度地提高性能结果，尤其是在与肌肉损伤相关的条件下。未来的研究应优先探索 IPC 对性能和恢复的长期影响，以更好地了解其作为可靠增效辅助工具的潜力。