Evaluation of high altitude training camps with heart rate recovery and heart rate variability analysis: beneficial effect in elite swimmers.

BACKGROUND: The available evidence on the impact of altitude training on sports performance is inconclusive. Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate recovery (HRR) are among the most frequently used parameters in athletic performance analysis and monitoring. Our study aims to investigate the effect of high altitude training on HRR and HRV, which are reliable predictors of athletic performance. METHODS: Elite national swimmers were included in the study. Time domain and frequency domain analyzes were performed with the Polar Verity Sense device and Kubios HRV software. HRR were measured at one-minute intervals for the first 15 minutes after peak heart rate, and then recorded at the 20th, 25th and 30th minutes. RESULTS: A significant difference is observed from the beginning to the 11th minute. The P value at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11 minutes is 0.001, 0.023, 0.032, 0.019 and 0.020, respectively. Similarly, a significant change was observed in delta HRR. Among the HRV parameters, RMSSD, SDNN, Poincaré SD1 and PNS are statistically significant. P values are 0.004, 0.018, 0.024 and 0.013 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High altitude training program has a positive effect on HRV and CRV in elite swimmers. This condition is associated with increased cardiac parasympathetic activity. Time domain analyses have proven to be more beneficial for HRV. HRR and HRV are effective, reliable and inexpensive methods of performance monitoring of elite athletes.

Comparison of the effects of resistance, aerobic and mixed exercise on athlete's heart.

BACKGROUND: There are various changes in cardiac physiology in athletes compared to the normal population. These physiological changes may differ according to the exercise content. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different exercise methods on the heart. METHODS: A total of 122 male athletes from various sports were evaluated. Depending on the sorts of sports, these participants were split into aerobic, mixed, and resistance groups. Each athlete had to meet the inclusion criteria of having participated in the present sport for at least a year and having trained for at least 600 minutes per week over the previous three months. Transthoracic echocardiography was used to investigate the effects of different exercise types. RESULTS: The aerobic group's heart rate and ejection fraction were found to be lower than those of the resistance and mixed groups (F(2.105)=23.487, P=0.001). The end-diastolic thicknesses of the interventricular septum (8.7 SD 0.8 vs. 10.0 SD 0.7), interventricular septum (11.3 SD 0.9 vs. 13.0 SD 0.9), left ventricular posterior wall (8.6 SD 0.7 vs. 9.9 SD 0.8), and interventricular septum (11.1 SD 0.9 vs. 13.3 SD 0.9) were all found to be lower in the aerobic group than in the resistance group (P=0.0001). The effect of resistance exercise on heart rate was not observed as clearly as other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance exercise has a more dominant effect on ventricular thickness than aerobic exercise. In mixed exercise groups, this increase in thickness is similar to resistance exercise. The content of the training should be considered in the evaluation of the athlete's heart. Identifying the subgroups of the athlete's heart will be useful in the differentiation of pathologies and also in the follow-up of the athletes.