Usefulness of heart rate recovery parameters to monitor cardiovascular adaptation in elite athletes: The impact of the type of sport

Relationship between Oxygen Uptake Reserve and Heart Rate Reserve in Young Male Tennis Players: Implications for Physical Fitness Monitoring

The aims of this study were to (i) verify the relationship between reserve oxygen uptake (VO_reserve) and reserve heart rate (HR_reserve) in young male tennis players, and (ii) understand the relationship between oxygen uptake (VO₂) measured at the end of a tennis drill and recovery heart rate (HR_recovery) after the tennis drill. Ten young male tennis players (16.64 ± 1.69 years; 62.36 ± 6.53 kg of body mass; 175.91 ± 5.26 cm of height) were recruited from the National Tennis Association. Players were instructed to perform a tennis drill based on an incremental intensity protocol. Afterward, three levels of intensity were used based on VO_2reserve and HR_reserve. A significant variance was observed between levels (VO_2reserve and HR_reserve = p < 0.001). VO_2reserve presented a significant and high agreement with HR_reserve. The mean data revealed non-significant differences (p > 0.05), a very high relationship of linear regression (R² = 82.4%, p < 0.001), and high agreement in Bland Altman plots. VO_2, at the highest level of intensity (>93%), presented a significant correlation with HR_recovery during the immediate 30 s after the drill (r_s = 0.468, p = 0.028). Tennis coaches or instructors must be aware of the differences between monitoring or prescribing training intensities based on HR_reserve or HR_max. They can also use HR_recovery for 30 s immediately after exercise to verify and understand the variation in their players' cardiorespiratory capacities.

Strain and myocardial work index during echo exercise to evaluate myocardial function in athletes

The aim of the study was to evaluate the application of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and myocardial work (MW) at rest and during exercise in healthy sedentary or trained participants, to test their ability to improve echocardiographic information and to complement prescribing exercise, cardiac screening, or rehabilitation programs.

Comparison of heart rate response and heart rate recovery after step test among smoker and non-smoker athletes

BACKGROUND

Exercise performance depend on the ability of the cardiovascular system to respond to a wide range of metabolic demands and physical exertion.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the habitual smoking effects in heart rate response and heart rate recovery after step test in athletes.

METHODS

Seventy-eight physically healthy active athletes (45 non-smokers and 33 smokers) aging 27±8 years old, participated in this study. All participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and performed the six-minute step test. Cardiovascular parameters such (resting heart rate, peak heart rate, heart rate at 1 min after testing, heart rate recovery, recovery time, blood pressure at rest, and post-testing blood pressure) were recorded.

RESULTS

Smoker-athletes had higher resting heart rate (76 ± 9bpm vs. 72 ± 10bpm, p<0.05), maximum heart rate (154 ± 18bpm vs. 147 ± 17bpm, p<0.05) and recovery time (7min 25sec ± 6min 31sec vs. 4min 21sec ± 4min 30sec, p<0.05) than non-smoker athletes. Scores from the IPAQ were approximately the same (M=7927 ± 10303, M= 6380 ± 4539, p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Smoking was found to affect athletes' cardiovascular fitness. The change of the athletes' heart rate recovery and recovery time contributes to the adaptation of cardiovascular function in training requirements.