Relationship Between Heart Rate Variability and Acute: Chronic Load Ratio Throughout a Season in NCAA D1 Men's Soccer Players. Issue 4 (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sekiguchi, Yasuki; Huggins, Robert A.; Curtis, Ryan M.; Benjamin, Courteney L.; Adams, William M.; Looney, David P.; West, Chris A.; Casa, Douglas J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of strength and conditioning research. Volume 35:Issue 4(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: training load management -- cardiac autonomic system -- preparedness -- exercise performance; Physical education and training -- Periodicals; Weight training -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Physical fitness -- Periodicals; 613.7
• DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002853
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1064-8011

Abstract

Abstract : Abstract: Sekiguchi, Y, Huggins, RA, Curtis, RM, Benjamin, CL, Adams, WM, Looney, DP, West, CA, and Casa, DJ. Relationship between heart rate variability and acute:chronic load ratio throughout a season in NCAA D1 men's soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 35(4): 1103–1109, 2021—The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR)-based training load (TL) metrics and (b) to examine relationships across various A:C ratio-based TL metrics. Heart rate variability in 23 male college soccer players (mean ± SD ; age, 21 ± 1 years; body mass, 80.3 ± 5.8 kg; height, 181.9 ± 6.5 cm; %body fat, 11.9 ± 2.0%; and V[Combining Dot Above]O2 max, 51.9 ± 5.0 ml·kg −1 ·min −1 ) was measured at 5 time points: week(W)1, W3, W7, W12, and W14 during the 2015 NCAA men's soccer season. Heart rate variability was calculated from beat to beat intervals using a heart rate monitor. Players donned a global position satellite–enabled device that measured the following TL metrics: session time (ST), Player Load (PL), PL·min −1, and total distance (TD). Acute:chronic workload ratio was calculated for each TL metric: ACWR-based ST (ACWRST ), ACWR-based PL (ACWRPL ), ACWR-based PL·min −1 (ACWRPLM ), and ACWR-based TD (ACWRTD ): ACWR = week average TLs/mo average (30 ± 1 days) TLs. Relationships between HRV and ACWR-based each TL metric were evaluated using mixed effects models. Tukey pairwise comparisons were used to examine differences between types of ACWR-based TL metrics. An increase in ACWRST significantly reduced HRV throughout a season (−7.4 ± 3.6 m·s −1 ; p = 0.04). There were significant differences between ACWRPLM and ACWRST, ACWRPL and ACWRTD at W1, ACWRPLM and ACWRST at W3 ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, ACWRST, ACWRPL, and ACWRTD were significantly different from ACWRPLM . ACWRST was found to significantly predict HRV; higher ACWRST was significantly associated with lower HRV. Therefore, tracking of the ACWR using ST may help to optimize athlete's physiological state throughout a season.