Daily Resting Heart Rate Variability in Adolescent Swimmers during 11 Weeks of Training

Sigitas Kamandulis, Antanas Juodsnukis, Jurate Stanislovaitiene, Ilona Judita Zuoziene, Andrius Bogdelis, Mantas Mickevicius, Nerijus Eimantas, Audrius Snieckus, Bjørn Harald Olstad and Tomas Venckunas
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Sigitas Kamandulis: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Antanas Juodsnukis: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Jurate Stanislovaitiene: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Ilona Judita Zuoziene: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Andrius Bogdelis: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Mantas Mickevicius: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Nerijus Eimantas: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Audrius Snieckus: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania
Bjørn Harald Olstad: Institute of Physical Performance, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, 0863 Oslo, Norway
Tomas Venckunas: Institute of Sports Science and Innovation, Lithuanian Sports University, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Adolescent athletes are particularly vulnerable to stress. The current study aimed to monitor one of the most popular and accessible stress markers, heart rate variability (HRV), and its associations with training load and sleep duration in young swimmers during an 11-week training period to evaluate its relevance as a tool for monitoring overtraining. National-level swimmers (n = 22, age 14.3 ± 1.0 years) of sprint and middle distance events followed individually structured training programs prescribed by their swimming coach with the main intention of preparing for the national championships. HRV after awakening, during sleep and training were recorded daily. There was a consistent ~4.5% reduction in HRV after 3–5 consecutive days of high (>6 km/day) swimming volume, and an inverse relationship of HRV with large (>7.0 km/day) shifts in total training load (r = −0.35, p < 0.05). Day-to-day HRV did not significantly correlate with training volume or sleep duration. Taken together, these findings suggest that the value of HRV fluctuations in estimating the balance between the magnitude of a young athlete’s physical load and their tolerance is limited on a day-to-day basis, while under sharply increased or extended training load the lower HRV becomes an important indicator of potential overtraining.

Keywords: autonomic nervous system; competitive swimming; high-intensity exercise; sleep; training volume (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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