A few people have suffered cardiac arrests and died while attempting to exercise in masks. This was happening in China long before COVID. This is due to many of China's citizens choosing to wear masks outside due to China's pollution problems in big cities
Most recently it happened to a high school student in Oregon, who was forced to wear a mask while RUNNING A RACE (so stupid)
https://www.westernjournal.com/hs-ru...mask-mandates/ (although she didn't die). I wonder what would be more difficult, running an 800m dash wearing a mask or running it while attempting to smoke a cigarette?
If that was an outside event, forcing a healthy high school student to wear a mask during a race is just about the stupidest thing I've heard this year. But I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming it was an inside event
Gyms in our state had a mask mandate for a full year. It makes some sense, considering the gym is most likely where I caught COVID in July of 2020. Good thing I didn't pass it to anyone vulnerable and it was a joke a get over because I'm not old or fat. I actually got used to the mask mandate however, after trying many different types I found the best one to be those N95 ones with the plastic cup piece, I'd leave the bottom strap undone and work out with just the top strap on. The only time I would really struggle with wearing a mask was leg day. After a set of lunges, squats, or deadlifts, I would be winded and just could not catch my breath with the mask on. This is where that N95 one comes in handy. I'd just pull the bottom strap out and it would slightly lift the lower part of the mask. I could breathe more freely, but my breath was still directed straight down and not out, because the mask was still 80% covering my face
After the state lifted mandatory masking (Our COVID rates went from 5,000 new/day to 600 new/day following vaccines), almost no one continued to wear masks at the gym. I did the first day just to be polite (plus I don't like to bring negative attention to myself by being "THAT GUY" who's the only person in a particular place not following the rules), but quickly took it off when I noticed no one else was bothering. Even older people, I'm assuming it's because they are vaccinated
Anyway TLDR: the idea of working out in a mask is pretty ridiculous from a health perspective, although it seems to be possible for non-cardio exercises