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

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine heart rate (HR) recovery after maximal test in elite athletes who compete in high dynamic, high static, and in mixed sport disciplines; to assess differences in HR recovery between these groups of athletes; and to measure the association of HR index (HRI) with heart adaptation variables to determine whether these values were correlated with the type of exercise. Methods One hundred and ninety-four elite athletes were divided into three groups according to the predominant type of exercise performed: endurance (n = 40), strength-sprinter (n = 36), and ball-game players (n = 118). They performed maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a treadmill and were subjected to echocardiography. The rate of decline (HR recovery) was calculated as the difference between maximum and recovery HRs (HRrec1 and HRrec3). The HRI was calculated as HRmax – 1-min post-exercise HR (HRrec1). Results The most significant correlation of HRI was with posterior wall diameter and left ventricular (LV) mass index (r = 0.43 and r = 0.51; p = 0.012 and p = 0.003, respectively). LV mass index [Beta (B) = 0.354, p = 0.001] was an independent predictor of HRI and HRrec1. HRI may be an effective tool for discrimination of physiological and “gray zone” LV hypertrophy, with area under the curve of 0.545 (95% CI = 0.421–0.669, p = 0.0432). HRI displayed a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 52.2% at the optimal cut-off value of 23.5. Conclusion HR recovery pattern, especially HRI, may offer a timely and efficient tool to identify athletes with autonomous nervous system adaptive changes.

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

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The validity of Keiser-M3 stationary bicycle with standard ergometer for physiological measurements associated with maximum effort

“…Among the measured physiological parameters, there is a strong agreement between ergometers for HRmax (r = 0.719), which is defined as the highest HR value that an individual can achieve in maximal effort until exhaustion is reached 28 . In addition, an important indicator was considered to quantify maximum efforts during the test in ergometers 9 , and the HRmax is widely used to aerobic exercise intensity prescription and is directly related to the VO2max 29 .…”

Measuring Heart Rate During Exercise: From Artery Palpation to Monitors and Apps

“…33 On the other hand, analysis of post-exercise HR recovery may contribute to the identification of athletes of different sports with favorable autonomous nervous system adaptive changes. 34…”