Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown and a Subsequent Retraining Period on Elite Athletes’ Workload, Performance, and Autonomic Responses: A Case Series

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Pedro L. Valenzuela ◽  
Fernando Rivas ◽  
Guillermo Sánchez-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Countermovement Jump ◽  
Repetition Maximum ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Autonomic Responses ◽  
And Performance

Purpose: To describe the effects of COVID-19 lockdown and a subsequent retraining on the training workloads, autonomic responses, and performance of a group of elite athletes. Methods: The training workloads and heart rate variability (assessed through the log-transformed root mean square of successive R–R intervals) of 7 elite badminton players were registered daily during 4 weeks of normal training (baseline), 7 to 10 weeks of lockdown, and 6 to 8 weeks of retraining. Physical performance was assessed at baseline and after each phase by means of a countermovement jump and the estimated squat 1-repetition maximum. Results: A reduction in training workloads was observed in all participants during the lockdown (−63.7%), which was accompanied by a reduced heart rate variability in all but one participant (−2.0%). A significant reduction was also observed for countermovement jump (−6.5%) and 1-repetition maximum performance (−11.5%), which decreased in all but one participant after the lockdown. However, after the retraining phase, all measures returned to similar values to those found at baseline. At the individual level, there were divergent responses, as exemplified by one athlete who attenuated the reduction in training workloads and increased her performance during the lockdown and another one who markedly reduced his workload and performance, and got injured during the retraining phase. Conclusions: Although there seems to be a large interindividual variability, COVID-19 lockdown is likely to impose negative consequences on elite athletes, but these detrimental effects might be avoided by attenuating reductions in training workloads and seem to be overall recovered after 6 to 8 weeks of retraining.

Effect of Two Different Weight-Loss Rates on Body Composition and Strength and Power-Related Performance in Elite Athletes

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Garthe ◽  
Truls Raastad ◽  
Per Egil Refsnes ◽  
Anu Koivisto ◽  
Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Countermovement Jump ◽  
Repetition Maximum ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Better Than

When weight loss (WL) is necessary, athletes are advised to accomplish it gradually, at a rate of 0.5–1 kg/wk. However, it is possible that losing 0.5 kg/wk is better than 1 kg/wk in terms of preserving lean body mass (LBM) and performance. The aim of this study was to compare changes in body composition, strength, and power during a weekly body-weight (BW) loss of 0.7% slow reduction (SR) vs. 1.4% fast reduction (FR). We hypothesized that the faster WL regimen would result in more detrimental effects on both LBM and strength-related performance. Twenty-four athletes were randomized to SR (n = 13, 24 ± 3 yr, 71.9 ± 12.7 kg) or FR (n = 11, 22 ± 5 yr, 74.8 ± 11.7 kg). They followed energy-restricted diets promoting the predetermined weekly WL. All athletes included 4 resistance-training sessions/wk in their usual training regimen. The mean times spent in intervention for SR and FR were 8.5 ± 2.2 and 5.3 ± 0.9 wk, respectively (p < .001). BW, body composition (DEXA), 1-repetition-maximum (1RM) tests, 40-m sprint, and countermovement jump were measured before and after intervention. Energy intake was reduced by 19% ± 2% and 30% ± 4% in SR and FR, respectively (p = .003). BW and fat mass decreased in both SR and FR by 5.6% ± 0.8% and 5.5% ± 0.7% (0.7% ± 0.8% vs. 1.0% ± 0.4%/wk) and 31% ± 3% and 21 ± 4%, respectively. LBM increased in SR by 2.1% ± 0.4% (p < .001), whereas it was unchanged in FR (–0.2% ± 0.7%), with significant differences between groups (p < .01). In conclusion, data from this study suggest that athletes who want to gain LBM and increase 1RM strength during a WL period combined with strength training should aim for a weekly BW loss of 0.7%.

Is heart rate variability actually a reliable index of training? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Javaloyes ◽  
Daniel Sanabria ◽  
Manuel Moya-Ramón ◽  
Jose R. Lillo-Bevia ◽  
Manuel Mateo March
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Training Load ◽  
Training Volume ◽  
Reliable Index ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 crisis also affected elite sport severely, as elite athletes either stopped or drastically reduced their training regimen due to the lack of competitions and the mandatory lockdown. The aim of this study was to test whether heart rate variability was a reliable index of training load, which was dramatically altered due to the mandatory lockdown that occurred as a consequence of the COVID-19. METHODS: Training (volume and intensity) and heart rate variability of sixteen professional male (n = 8; body mass index = 22.2 ± 2.0) and female cyclists (n = 8; body mass index = 20.3 ± 1.1) before (4 weeks), during (7 weeks), and after (4 weeks) the mandatory lockdown were monitored. RESULTS: Individual analyses showed that the mandatory lockdown caused reliable reductions in training volume in 13 subjects (-96 to -7 % reductions in minutes), that were followed by an increase after the lockdown in all subjects (5 to 270%). In contrast, changes in training intensity were not homogenous across individuals. Crucially, changes in heart rate variability neither follow training load nor intensity at the individual level. CONCLUSIONS: Heart rate variability did not seem to be a reliable proxy of training load and/or intensity as many previous reports have suggested, even if training conditions changed dramatically overnight.

scholarly journals Indices of Heart Rate Variability and Performance During a Response-Conflict Task Are Differently Associated With ADHD and Autism

2021 ◽  
pp. 108705472097279
Author(s):  
Alessio Bellato ◽  
Iti Arora ◽  
Puja Kochhar ◽  
Chris Hollis ◽  
Madeleine J. Groom
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Response Conflict ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Conflict Task ◽  
Accurate Performance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Comorbid Adhd ◽  
The Relationship

We investigated autonomic arousal, attention and response conflict, in ADHD and autism. Heart rate variability (HRV), and behavioral/electrophysiological indices of performance, were recorded during a task with low and high levels of response conflict in 78 children/adolescents (7–15 years old) with ADHD, autism, comorbid ADHD+autism, or neurotypical. ANOVA models were used to investigate effects of ADHD and autism, while a mediation model was tested to clarify the relationship between ADHD and slower performance. Slower and less accurate performance characterized ADHD and autism; however, atypical electrophysiological indices differently characterized these conditions. The relationship between ADHD and slower task performance was mediated by reduced HRV in response to the cue stimulus. Autonomic hypo-arousal and difficulties in mobilizing energetic resources in response to sensory information (associated with ADHD), and atypical electrophysiological indices of information processing (associated with autism), might negatively affect cognitive performance in those with ADHD+autism.

scholarly journals Field Monitoring the Effects of Overnight Shift Work on Specialist Tactical Police Training with Heart Rate Variability Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7895
Author(s):  
Colin Tomes ◽  
Ben Schram ◽  
Robin Orr
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Heart Rate Variability Analysis ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Hrv Analysis ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Personnel Allocation

Police work exposes officers to high levels of stress. Special emergency response team (SERT) service exposes personnel to additional demands. Specifically, the circadian cycles of SERT operators are subject to disruption, resulting in decreased capacity to compensate in response to changing demands. Adaptive regulation loss can be measured through heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. While HRV Trends with health and performance indicators, few studies have assessed the effect of overnight shift work on HRV in specialist police. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects overnight shift work on HRV in specialist police. HRV was analysed in 11 SERT officers and a significant (p = 0.037) difference was found in pRR50 levels across the training day (percentage of R-R intervals varying by >50 ms) between those who were off-duty and those who were on duty the night prior. HRV may be a valuable metric for quantifying load holistically and can be incorporated into health and fitness monitoring and personnel allocation decision making.

scholarly journals Heart Rate Variability Analysis and Performance during a Repeated Mental Workload Task

2017 ◽  
pp. 69-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossana Castaldo ◽  
Luis Montesinos ◽  
Tim S. Wan ◽  
Andra Serban ◽  
Sebastiano Massaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Heart Rate Variability Analysis ◽  
Variability Analysis ◽  
And Performance

Autonomic and Perceptual Responses to Induction of a Ketogenic Diet in Free-Living Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Crossover Trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ed Maunder ◽  
Deborah K. Dulson ◽  
David M. Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Exercise Capacity ◽  
Ketogenic Diet ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Endurance Performance ◽  
Endurance Athletes ◽  
Recovery Stress ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Dietary Shift

Purpose: Considerable interindividual heterogeneity has been observed in endurance performance responses following induction of a ketogenic diet (KD). It is plausible that a physiological stress response in the period following the dramatic dietary shift associated with transition to a KD may explain this heterogeneity. Methods: In a randomized, crossover study design, 8 trained male runners completed an incremental exercise test and ran to exhaustion at 70%VO2max before and after a 31-day rigorously controlled habitual diet or KD intervention, and recorded heart rate variability (root mean square of the sum of successive differences in R–R intervals [rMSSD]) upon waking each morning along with the recovery–stress questionnaire for athletes each week. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models. Results: A significant reduction in rMSSD was observed in the KD (−9.77 [4.03] ms, P = .02), along with an increase in day-to-day variability in rMSSD (2.1% [1.0%], P = .03). The reduction in rMSSD in the KD for the subgroup of individuals exhibiting impaired exercise capacity following induction of the KD approached significance (Δ −22 [15] ms, P = .06, N = 4); whereas no effect was observed in those who exhibited unchanged exercise capacity (Δ 5 [18] ms, P = .61, N = 4). No main effects were observed for recovery–stress questionnaire for athletes. Conclusions: Our data suggest those working with endurance athletes transitioning onto a KD may consider using noninvasive, inexpensive resting heart rate variability measures to gain individual-level insights into the likely short-term effects on exercise capacity.

scholarly journals Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Pulse Rate Variability (PRV) for the Assessment of Autonomic Responses

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Mejía-Mejía ◽  
Karthik Budidha ◽  
Tomas Ysehak Abay ◽  
James M. May ◽  
Panayiotis A. Kyriacou
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Pulse Rate ◽  
Pulse Rate Variability ◽  
Autonomic Responses
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