Key result
Overload training impaired cardiac vagal stimulation (decreased lnRMSSDrest, p<0.01) and increased psychological stress, which were fully restored after a taper.
Why the study?
Measures reflecting the balance between training-induced fatigue and recovery can guide training plan revisions, prompting investigation into the impact of overload training and tapering using multidimensional measures of heart rate vagal control, psychological stress, and burnout.
Does overload training and tapering affect vagal control of heart rate and psychological stress in collegiate female swimmers?
Observational (n=13)
Does overload training and tapering affect vagal control of heart rate and psychological stress in collegiate female swimmers?
p-value: p=<0.01
Overload training impairs cardiac vagal stimulation in female swimmers, which is fully restored during a taper, suggesting lnRMSSD and HRhg are sensitive markers of training-induced fatigue.
Dobson, J, Harris, B, Claytor, A, Stroud, L, Berg, L, and Chrysosferidis, P. Selected cardiovascular and psychological changes throughout a competitive season in collegiate female swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 34(11): 3062-3069, 2020-Measures that reflect the balance between training-induced fatigue and recovery can provide valuable feedback to help revise training plans. The aim of this study was to use multidimensional measures of the vagal control of the heart rate (HR), psychological stress, and burnout to investigate the impact of overload training and tapering in female swimmers. Thirteen female Division-1 swimmers completed the HR and psychological measures 3 times during a competitive season: (a) at the beginning of the season (BL), (b) eleven weeks later during a period of overload training (OL), and (c) eleven more weeks later and after a taper (TP). Cardiovascular measures included the resting logarithm of the root mean square of successive R-R intervals (lnRMSSD), HR responses to forced breathing (HRdiff), and HR responses to sustained handgrip exercise (HRhg). Psychological measures consisted of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that sport devaluation, reduced accomplishment, general stress, and emotional exhaustion all increased throughout the season (all were p < 0.05). Also, lnRMSSDrest decreased (p < 0.01) and HRhg increased (p < 0.05) during OL, both of which then returned to BL levels during TP (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively); whereas HRdiff values fell progressively during the season (p < 0.05). The results indicate that OL impaired cardiac vagal stimulation, and the bulk of evidence indicated that it was fully restored during a TP. In conclusion, lnRMSSD and HRhg were particularly sensitive to changes in workload throughout the season, and so those measures may be especially useful for preventing an excessive accumulation of training-induced fatigue.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Dobson et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Healthy collegiate female swimmers (n=13). Overload training and tapering vs. Baseline was evaluated on Cardiovascular measures (lnRMSSD, HRdiff, HRhg) and psychological measures (p=<0.01). Overload training impaired cardiac vagal stimulation (decreased lnRMSSDrest, p<0.01) and increased psychological stress, which were fully restored after a taper.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: