Got lag? Doctoral student’s research connects gaming performance to exercise science

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—In the world of competitive gaming, where a split-second reaction can mean the difference between victory and defeat, Lilin Lan has discovered a way for players to improve their skills.

“For esport performance, you have to be very quick and react in a very short amount of time,” explains Lan, a doctoral student in the exercise science program at Western Michigan University. “And as a gamer, sitting for a very long time, it isn’t good for our well-being.”

Recognizing this fundamental problem in the gamer community, Lan designed a 20-minute high-intensity interval training workout via stationary bike for participants in his research study. He says this duration is more palatable than other types of workouts for gamers and triggers the secretion of hormones such as dopamine and epinephrine (adrenaline).

“We have different metrics that we tested for to measure player performance,” says Lan. “Using the 3M trainer software that simulates the cognitive demands of esports, we could evaluate flicking, clicking and tracking.

“It also gave us different variables like accuracy and kills per second, which is data that reflects the player’s performance in competitive play.”

Lan’s findings from the study showed that use of high-intensity interval training can enhance specific first-person shooter games’ performance components, particularly flicking and tracking skills, both of which are critical in competitive games such as Valorant, Apex Legends and Overwatch, three of the most popular video games in esports.

Adding to the victory in his research, Lan received the Outstanding Doctoral Student Oral Presentation Award for his research while at the 2025 Midwest regional chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine conference. 

“It means a lot,” says Lan. “Receiving this award gives me confidence speaking English, which isn’t my first language, and encourages me to do more research about this topic.” 

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