Profiles of Heart Rate Variability and Bar Velocity after Resistance Exercise

The aim of this investigation was to observe the association in the time course in recovery between multiple heart rate variability (HRV) metrics and neuromuscular performance, as assessed by mean bar velocity (BVM) in the back squat, over a 72-h period after an exhaustive back squat protocol.

Eight resistance-trained males completed five laboratory visits within a 7-d period. The first visit involved short-term HRV recordings followed by a familiarization of BVM procedures and a one-repetition maximum test of the back squat. Forty-eight hours later, participants returned to the laboratory for prestimulus measurements, immediately followed by a back squat protocol (8 sets of 10 repetitions at 70% of one-repetition maximum with a 2-min rest). The HRV and the BVM measurements were replicated at 0.5, 24, 48, and 72 h after squat protocol. A multivariate profile analysis and repeated-measures correlation between recovery scores [(new/prestimulus) × 100] for each HRV metric and BVM was computed.

All log-transformed (ln) HRV metrics, except low frequency (lnLF) (P = 0.051), had a significant interaction with BVM over time (P < 0.05), indicating that recovery scores in BVM and HRV were not parallel. In addition, recovery scores in all HRV metrics significantly differed from BVM (P < 0.05) in at least one time point across the 72-h period. Furthermore, repeated-measures correlation analysis indicated a lack of intraindividual association (P > 0.05) between the change in BVM and all HRV measurements over time.

The time course in recovery in HRV measurements after an exhaustive bout of lower-body resistance exercise was not associated with neuromuscular performance recovery.