Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dissociation of heart rate variability and heart rate recovery in well-trained athletes

  • Research Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationships between aerobic fitness, volume of physical activity (PA), heart rate variability (HRV), and heart rate recovery (HRR) in a group of well-trained endurance athletes. Nineteen endurance athletes participated in this study and had aerobic capacities that placed them above the 99th percentile based on normative values (VO2max: 67.1 ± 2 ml kg−1 min−1). HRV was obtained via an EKG collected during supine rest and reported as high-frequency (HF), low-frequency (LF), and total power (TP). Natural log (ln) transformation was applied when variables violated assumptions of normality. HRR recovery was reported as the reduction in heart rate from peak exercise to the heart rate 1 min after cessation of exercise and PA was estimated from a questionnaire. HRR was significantly correlated with PA and VO2max (r = 0.67, P = 0.003 and 0.51, P = 0.039, respectively), but not with any index of HRV. Age was significantly correlated with lnHF (r = −0.49, P = 0.033), lnLF/lnHF (r = 0.48, P = 0.037), and normalized units (NU) of LF (r = 0.47, P = 0.042) and HF (r = −0.47, P = 0.042). Stepwise regression revealed that the strongest predictor of HRR was PA (R 2 = 0.45) and that VO2max did not add significant predictive value to the model. The relationship between HRV and age is evident in well-trained endurance athletes, whereas the relationship between HRV and PA/aerobic fitness is not. The maintained relationship between HRR and PA/aerobic fitness suggests that HRR may be a better marker of fitness-related differences in autonomic control in this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Leon AS, Jacobs DR Jr, Montoye HJ, Sallis JF, Paffenbarger RS Jr (1993) Compendium of physical activities: classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 25:71–80

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Akselrod S, Gordon D, Ubel FA, Shannon DC, Berger AC, Cohen RJ (1981) Power spectrum analysis of heart rate fluctuation: a quantitative probe of beat-to-beat cardiovascular control. Science 213:220–222

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • American College of Sports Medicine (2010) In: Guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 8th edn. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, pp 65, 84–89, 143–144

  • Aubert AE, Seps B, Beckers F (2003) Heart rate variability in athletes. Sports Med 33:889–919

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borresen J, Lambert MI (2008) Autonomic control of heart rate during and after exercise: measurements and implications for monitoring training status. Sports Med 38:633–646

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buchheit M, Gindre C (2006) Cardiac parasympathetic regulation: respective associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and training load. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 291:H451–H458

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buchheit M, Papelier Y, Laursen PB, Ahmaidi S (2007) Noninvasive assessment of cardiac parasympathetic function: postexercise heart rate recovery or heart rate variability? Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 293:H8–H10

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buchheit M, Millet GP, Parisy A, Pourchez S, Laursen PB, Ahmaidi S (2008) Supramaximal training and postexercise parasympathetic reactivation in adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40:362–371

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen GY, Hsiao TJ, Lo HM, Kuo CD (2008) Abdominal obesity is associated with autonomic nervous derangement in healthy Asian obese subjects. Clin Nutr 27:212–217

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen JY, Lee YL, Tsai WC, Lee CH, Chen PS, Li YH, Tsai LM, Chen JH, Lin LJ (2011) Cardiac autonomic functions derived from short-term heart rate variability recordings associated with heart rate recovery after treadmill exercise test in young individuals. Heart Vessels 26:282–288

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cole CR, Blackstone EH, Pashkow FJ, Snader CE, Lauer MS (1999) Heart-rate recovery immediately after exercise as a predictor of mortality. N Engl J Med 341:1351–1357

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Craft N, Schwartz JB (1995) Effects of age on intrinsic heart rate, heart rate variability, and AV conduction in healthy humans. Am J Physiol 268:H1441–H1452

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Darr KC, Bassett DR, Morgan BJ, Thomas DP (1988) Effects of age and training status on heart rate recovery after peak exercise. Am J Physiol 254:H340–H343

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dekker JM, Crow RS, Folsom AR, Hannan PJ, Liao D, Swenne CA, Schouten EG (2000) Low heart rate variability in a 2-minute rhythm strip predicts risk of coronary heart disease and mortality from several causes: the ARIC study. Atheroscler Risk Communities Circ 102:1239–1244

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dewland TA, Androne AS, Lee FA, Lampert RJ, Katz SD (2007) Effect of acetylcholinesterase inhibition with pyridostigmine on cardiac parasympathetic function in sedentary adults and trained athletes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 293:H86–H92

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Esco MR, Williford HN, Olson MS (2011) Skinfold thickness is related to cardiovascular autonomic control as assessed by heart rate variability and heart rate recovery. J Strength Cond Res 25:2304–2310

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faul F, Erdfelder E, Buchner A, Lang A (2009) Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behav Res Methods 41:1149–1160

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iellamo F, Legramante JM, Pigozzi F, Spataro A, Norbiato G, Lucini D, Pagani M (2002) Conversion from vagal to sympathetic predominance with strenuous training in high-performance world class athletes. Circulation 105:2719–2724

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Imai K, Sato H, Hori M, Kusuoka H, Ozaki H, Yokoyama H, Takeda H, Inoue M, Kamada T (1994) Vagally mediated heart rate recovery after exercise is accelerated in athletes but blunted in patients with chronic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 24:1529–1535

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Javorka M, Zila I, Balharek T, Javorka K (2002) Heart rate recovery after exercise: relations to heart rate variability and complexity. Braz J Med Biol Res 35:991–1000

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaikkonen P, Rusko H, Martinmaki K (2008) Post-exercise heart rate variability of endurance athletes after different high-intensity exercise interventions. Scand J Med Sci Sports 18:511–519

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaikkonen P, Hynynen E, Mann T, Rusko H, Nummela A (2010) Can HRV be used to evaluate training load in constant load exercises? Eur J Appl Physiol 108:435–442

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lakatta EG (1993) Cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms in advanced age. Physiol Rev 73:413–467

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lamberts RP, Lemmink KAPM, Durandt JJ, Lambert MI (2004) Variation in heart rate during submaximal exercise: implications for monitoring training. J Strength Cond Res 18:641–645

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamberts RP, Swart J, Noakes TD, Lambert MI (2009) Changes in heart rate recovery after high-intensity training in well-trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 105:705–713

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamberts RP, Swart J, Noakes TD, Lambert MI (2011) A novel submaximal cycle test to monitor fatigue and predict cycling performance. Br J Sports Med 45:797–804

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee CM, Wood RH, Welsh MA (2003) Influence of short-term endurance exercise training on heart rate variability. Med Sci Sports Exerc 35:961–969

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manzi V, Castagna C, Padua E, Lombardo M, D’Ottavio S, Massaro M, Volterrani M, Iellamo F (2009) Dose–response relationship of autonomic nervous system responses to individualized training impulse in marathon runners. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 296:H1733–H1740

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nagai N, Matsumoto T, Kita H, Moritani T (2003) Autonomic nervous system activity and the state and development of obesity in Japanese school children. Obes Res 11:25–32

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nishime EO, Cole CR, Blackstone EH, Pashkow FJ, Lauer MS (2000) Heart rate recovery and treadmill exercise score as predictors of mortality in patients referred for exercise ECG. JAMA 284:1392–1398

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira MA, FitzerGerald SJ, Gregg EW, Joswiak ML, Ryan WJ, Suminski RR, Utter AC, Zmuda JM (1997) A collection of physical activity questionnaires for health-related research. Med Sci Sports Exerc 29:s10–s14

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomeranz B, Macaulay RJ, Caudill MA, Kutz I, Adam D, Gordon D, Kilborn KM, Barger AC, Shannon DC, Cohen RJ, Benson H (1985) Assessment of autonomic function in humans by heart rate spectral analysis. Am J Physiol 248:H151–H153

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Routledge FS, Campbell TS, McFetridge-Durdle JA, Bacon SL (2010) Improvements in heart rate variability with exercise therapy. Can J Cardiol 26:303–312

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siri WE (1956) The gross composition of the body. Adv Biol Med Phys 4:239–280

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sugawara J, Murakami H, Maeda S, Kuno S, Matsuda M (2001) Change in post-exercise vagal reactivation with exercise training and detraining in young men. Eur J Appl Physiol 85:259–263

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (1996) Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation and clinical use. Circulation 93:1043–1065

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuji H, Larson MG, Venditti FJ Jr, Manders ES, Evans JC, Feldman CL, Levy D (1996) Impact of reduced heart rate variability on risk for cardiac events. The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 94:2850–2855

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wood RH, Hondzinski JM, Lee CM (2003) Evidence of an association among age-related changes in physical, psychomotor and autonomic function. Age Ageing 32:415–421

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto K, Miyachi M, Saitoh T, Yoshioka A, Onodera S (2001) Effects of endurance training on resting and post-exercise cardiac autonomic control. Med Sci Sports Exerc 33:1496–1502

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94132-4161, USA

    C. Matthew Lee & Albert Mendoza

Authors
  1. C. Matthew Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Albert Mendoza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Matthew Lee.

Additional information

Communicated by Dag Linnarsson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lee, C.M., Mendoza, A. Dissociation of heart rate variability and heart rate recovery in well-trained athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 112, 2757–2766 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2258-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2258-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation