Heart rate variability kinetics during different intensity domains of cycling exercise in healthy subjects

The purpose of this study was to verify the heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) kinetics during the fundamental phase in different intensity domains of cycling exercise. Fourteen males performed five exercise sessions: (1) maximal incremental cycling test; (2) two rest‐to‐exercise transitions for each intensity domain, that is, heavy (Δ30) and severe (Δ60) domains. HRV markers (SD1 and SD2) and HR kinetics in the fundamental phase were analyzed by first‐order exponential fitting. There were no significant differences in amplitude values between SD1 Δ30 (8.98 ± 3.52 ms) and SD1 Δ60 (9.44 ± 3.24 ms) and SD2 Δ30 (24.93 ± 9.16 ms) and SD2 Δ60 (25.98 ± 7.29 ms). Significant difference was observed between HR Δ30 (52 ± 7 bpm) and HR Δ60 (63 ± 8 bpm). The time constant (τ) values were significantly different between SD1 Δ30 (17.61 ± 6.26 s) and SD1 Δ60 (13.86 ± 5.90 s), but not between SD2 Δ30 (20.06 ± 3.73 s) and SD2 Δ60 (19.47 ± 6.03 s) or HR Δ30 (56.75 ± 18.22 s) and HR Δ60 (58.49 ± 15.61 s). However, the τ values for HR Δ30 were higher and significantly different in relation to SD1 Δ30 and SD2 Δ30 , as well as for HR Δ60 in relation to SD1 Δ60 and SD2 Δ60 . The kinetics of the autonomic variable (SD1 marker) was accelerated by the increased intensity. Moreover, significant differences were found for the τ values, with faster HRV markers than HR, in both intensities of Δ30 and Δ60, which suggests that these variables indicate distinct and specific cardiac autonomic response times during different intensity domains in cycling. HIGHLIGHTS The application of HRV to optimize exercise prescription at different effort intensities is extremely important to obtain assertive and effective results. Analysis of the kinetic responses of HRV is a useful tool for the evaluation of exercise performance and health status. A faster kinetics was found for HRV markers in comparison to HR, for both intensities analysed, which suggests that these variables indicate distinct and specific cardiac autonomic response times during different intensity domains in cycling.