HRV-based Training Effects in Athletes

NCT ID: NCT04150952

Last Updated: 2020-05-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 14 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-09-07
• Study Completion Date: 2019-12-07

Brief Summary

Monitoring individual responses to training is an important key factor to prescribe to most effective training programs. Heart-rate variability (HRV) could be used for monitoring the training status of endurance athletes in order to detect the fatigue status and to assess the adaptation to training. This direct fatigue measuring method has been little used to prescribe or regulate exercise prescription. Moreover, it allows new possibilities for the training load prescription according to an athlete's status, the response to the training load, and the adaptation to training. Regardless HRV-guided training, the athlete performance could also be influenced by precompetitive mood and anxiety, which can also be reflected in the precompetitive HRV scores and the subjective effort perception.

Detailed Description

Monitoring individual responses to training is an important key factor to prescribe to most effective training programs. A promising variable that is able to reflect positive or negative training adaptation is cardiac autonomic regulation. In general, a decreased training status is associated with a lower power output at the same submaximal heart rate and a slower heart rate recovery, whereas an increased training status is associated with an increased power output, the same submaximal heart rate, and a faster heart rate recovery.

In this line, heart-rate variability (HRV), which focuses on the variability of successive R-R intervals, have gained popularity in monitoring the training status of endurance athletes. This tool enables the detection of fatigue status and assesses the adaptation to training. After high intensity training or a short-term overreached period, there is a decrease in the resting HRV values, reflecting the effect of the fatigue. In addition, the increase of the performance after a training period is related to an increase in resting HRV. This direct fatigue measuring method has been little used to prescribe or regulate exercise prescription. Moreover, this HRV-guided training, also called day-to-day periodization, allows new possibilities for the training load prescription according to an athlete's status, the response to the training load, and the adaptation to training.

On the other hand, regardless HRV-guided training, the athlete performance could also be influenced by precompetitive mood and anxiety, which can also be reflected in the precompetitive HRV scores and the subjective effort perception. This is another interesting line that pretends to be clarified in this study.

Conditions

Heart Rate Control; Athlete; Emotions

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

HRV-Group

Athletes will train according to their basal HRV scores. If the resting HRV is higher tan their basal HRV, they will perform a high or moderate intensity training. If the resting HRV is lower, they will perform a low intensity training. If the resting HRV still lower, they will rest. They will not accumulate two or more days of high-moderate intensity training, nor two or more days of rest.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

HRV-based training

Intervention Type: OTHER

Intervention based on HRV-guided training for the performance improvement of athletes. Pre-competitive HRV, subjective effort perception, anxiety and mood will also be analysed.

TRAD-Group

Athletes will train according to their trainer plan. Training will not be guided by their basal HRV scores.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

TRAD training

Intervention Type: OTHER

Traditional endurance training

Interventions

HRV-based training

Intervention based on HRV-guided training for the performance improvement of athletes. Pre-competitive HRV, subjective effort perception, anxiety and mood will also be analysed.

Intervention Type: OTHER

TRAD training

Traditional endurance training

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Belonging to the Spanish Athletics Federation.
• Training and running in Spanish Athletics Federation contest during at least two years.
• Stay in the first third of the classification of the previous season last five races.

Exclusion Criteria

• Cardiovascular pathologies.
• Parameters of blood pressure (BP) outside of normality.
• Respiratory problems diagnosed.
• Be in treatment of psychological problems.
• Regular consumption of drug (s) with direct or indirect effects on the Nervous System (e.g., anxiolytics, antidepressants, neuroleptics).
• Consumption of substances not permitted by the International Athletics Federation (IAF).
• Punctual consumption of medication that could alter the performance due to suffering some disease related to cardiorespiratory system (e.g., influenza).
• Do not attend at least the 90% of the workouts during the intervention.

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Universidad de Almeria

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

María Carrasco Poyatos

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Alberto González Quílez, Master

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Universidad de Almeria

Antonio Granero-Gallegos, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Universidad de Almeria

Locations

University of Almería

Almería, , Spain

Countries

Spain

Other Identifiers

UAL-HRV

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id