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Heart rate variability in athletes: relationship with central and peripheral performance
R Hedelin1, P Bjerle, K Henriksson-Larsén
1Sports Medicine and Clinical Physiology, Department of Surgical and Perioperative Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. rikard.hedelin@idrott.umu.se
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|July 28, 2001
Summary
Improved athletic performance in skiers and canoeists was linked to changes in heart rate variability (HRV). Specifically, reduced low-frequency HRV in a tilted position correlated with better muscle torque and aerobic capacity after training.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Physiology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system activity.
- Training adaptations in athletes involve both central and peripheral physiological changes.
- Understanding the relationship between HRV and performance metrics is crucial for optimizing training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between changes in HRV and improvements in peripheral (muscle torque, work) and central (maximal oxygen uptake) performance measures.
- To investigate how HRV parameters, specifically low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components, relate to training adaptations in elite athletes.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen cross-country skiers and seven canoeists underwent a 7-month training period.
- Peripheral performance was assessed using isokinetic dynamometry (peak torque, time to peak torque, total work).
- Central aerobic capacity was measured via maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2max)) tests. HRV was analyzed using power spectral analysis in supine and tilted positions.
Main Results:
- A decrease in normalized LF-variability while standing correlated with improvements in time to peak torque, maximal lactate, and VO(2max).
- Higher HF and total HRV were observed in athletes who improved their VO(2max) compared to those whose aerobic capacity declined.
- Absolute LF HRV changes were inversely related to peak torque changes.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced peripheral and central work capacities following training were associated with a reduction in LF-HRV when tilted.
- While HF and total HRV did not directly track muscle or aerobic improvements, baseline levels appeared important for further VO(2max) gains in highly trained athletes.
- These findings suggest HRV, particularly parasympathetic activity reflected in HF-HRV, plays a role in training adaptability and performance enhancement.