Hemodynamic features of adaptation to physical loads in female athletes of different age groups

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PhD, Associate Professor  V.V. Apokin1
PhD, Associate Professor A.A. Povzun1
Dr. Hab., Professor V.D. Povzun1
1Surgut State University, Surgut

Keywords: physical training, cardiovascular system, adaptability, functionality, jet lag

Background. As far as the applications of the modern rhythmology for the athletic adaptability and functionality rating purposes are concerned, it should be mentioned that the rhythmological tests make it possible to both rate the current situation and forecast progress of the relevant athletic qualities and abilities [4]. We have always underlined the importance of such test tools for the regular and extremely intense physical trainings, with the physiological variations profiling studies giving the means to cut down the negative health costs of the competitive accomplishments [1]. The negative health costs of the high-intense physical trainings and their effects on many sport-specific maladaptive disorders are well known, as well as the regulatory transformations behind the expressed vegetative shifts; and that is why the relevant triggering mechanisms need to be well understood for the training system design and management purposes to avoid any damage to athletes’ health.

Objective of the study was to test and theoretically analyze the age- and skill-specific specific cardiovascular system responses to jet lags in women’s sport groups.

Results and discussion. We studied the hemodynamic responses to jet lags in women’s youth and elite (senior) groups that made a long-range trip from Surgut to the west for a camp training cycle. We would not dwell herein on the research logic, methods and digital test data yielded by the tests and prior analyses since they are described in our prior study reports [1, 2]. We would focus herein only on the fundamental difference in the group circulatory system responses to the jet lag – since the gap was found fairly wide. Thus the youth group was tested with virtually no significant jet-lag-specific responses i.e. no expressed hemodynamic responses to the physical trainings. The youth group functionality maintenance efforts claimed no special extra compensatory mechanisms, nor changes in the regulatory vector. The senior elite group, however, was tested with an expressed regulatory shift towards sympathicotonia indicative of the hearts exposed to extra hemodynamic pressures. Such test picture may be interpreted as indicative of the group hemodynamic system transformations triggered by the fast adaptation of the autonomic regulation system.

Actual reasons for such responses are still unclear since it is commonly believed that the athletes specialized in the endurance-intensive sports develop specific vagal HR control mechanisms, and this control only grows and improves with the trainings. The above functionality sag could be partially explained by the natural fatigue – that could be easily compensated by a reasonably designed rest period. We should emphasize, however, the abrupt falls in amplitudes of the hemodynamic test rates as these amplitudes are indicative of the adaptability variations. The fall of the adaptive resource – which was rated quite satisfactory by the pre-flight tests – was traced by the post-first-week tests (one week upon arrival), whilst every of the post-third-week tests (with the only exclusion for the mean dynamic pressure test), found the functionality falls of 50-60%. Such adaptability falls may not be compensated by the traditional rest procedures and, hence, require special rehabilitation measures [1].

To understand the situation, a special attention should be given, as we believe, to the changes in the rhythmological indicators of the above mean dynamic pressure – that fell immediately upon arrival and stayed low (versus the pre-flight test rates) for the whole stay period – that means that the circulatory system functionality was seriously depressed. Long stay in such conditions may be harmful for the senior athletes’ functionality and adaptability – as was clearly the case in this particular group. We would assume that the individual blood circulatory system functionality and adaptability resources were virtually exhausted in this case [1].

The situation may be due to the fact that heart operates as a pulsating rather than a constant pump, with its performance and effectiveness generally reflected by the heart rate. On a more specific basis, its operation efficiency is determined not just by the amount of blood ejected by the left ventricle into the aorta for specific time, but also by the minute volume [cardiac output] that is the integrative blood flow test rate dependent both on the HR and blood volume ejected by the left ventricle for one contraction. The individual ability to quickly and adequately adapt the minute volume to the level of metabolism largely determines both the life quality and expectancy on the whole and the athletic performance in particular. That is the reason why minute volume has always been applied in the sport science to rate the hemodynamic process efficiency, with its stable growth considered indicative of the individual functionality improvement on the whole and the competitive performance in particular, with the special benefits for progress in the endurance-intensive sport disciplines.

A completely objective picture, however, may be provided by the group tests only when they are regular and reasonably long to profile the minute volume growth on a statistically significant basis. Otherwise the minute volume may be used as a fair indicator of the hemodynamic processes only when it is indexed versus some body mass specific parameter. It should be taken into consideration, however, that every heart contraction puts the cardiovascular system is in a new hemodynamic state, and this is why the individual blood flow should be rated by a stroke index rather that the minute volume [6].

The pulse oscillations of the stroke index that maintain the perfusion blood flow at a constant level may be considered the main mechanism behind the heart rate variations. At the same time, pulse fluctuations of the mean blood pressure – indicative of the continuous blood flow rate (relatively low in the senior female athletes in the jet lag periods) reflecting not only the vascular resistance but also the pulse fluctuations of the stroke index. If the vascular resistance were constant, then the average blood pressure would directly depend on the stroke index and would fluctuate in synch with the latter. However, since each heart contraction forms a new hemodynamic state in the system, the actual hemodynamic performance depends on both of the above indices i.e. the mean blood pressure and stroke index.

The mean blood pressure drop in the senior age group – indicative of the value that could (if there were no pulse pressure fluctuations) gives the same hemodynamic effect as achieved by the natural blood pressure fluctuations – triggers the compensatory response with the extra workload on the heart – i.e. the HR growth required to maintain the stroke index at the required level. In this specific case, the situation was alarming because such a hemodynamic transformation was associated with the vegetative tonus being shifted towards sympathicotonia to change the regulatory status. Mobilization of the central regulatory mechanisms may be indicative of all the other compensatory resources being depleted – and this means that the room for further functional (and, hence, competitive) progress was limited and the physiological costs of the progress were too high.

It should be mentioned that such situation develops in a phased manner in response to hard physical trainings. Analysis of the youth women’s group rhythmological test data found no significant jet-lag-specific changes; and a Human Body Health Vector analysis of the 4-dimensional phase test data showed that the cardiovascular system [5] responds to a standard workload in latitudinal movements by changing LF (the lead order parameter indicative of activity of the sympathetic centers in the medulla oblongata) to VLF (characteristic of the activity of central ergotropic and humoral-metabolic HR regulation mechanisms), with such response, in our opinion, securing the fast adaptation to the new conditions [2].

Conclusion. The study data and analyses provide an insight to the specific adaptation mechanisms that need to be well understood and taken into account to both improve the competitive performance and, what is even more important, cut down the negative health costs of the high-intensity physical trainings by the jet-lag-specific adaptability sensitive training systems.

References

  1. Apokin V.V., Povzun A.A., Rodionov V.A., Semenova O.A. Biorhythmological analysis of changes in body's adaptive capability of female athletes during long flights from east to west. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury, 2010, no. 11, pp. 95-98.
  2. Povzun A.A., Apokin V.V., Povzun V.D. et al. Specifics of urgent adaptation of cardiovascular system in athletes at latitudinal displacement. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2016. no. 5. pp. 83- 86.
  3. Povzun A.A., Apokin V.V., Povzun V.D., Usaeva N.R. Active sporting female students' biorhythmic structure: seasonal variations. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury.2017. no. 1. pp. 83-85.
  4. Savinykh L.E., Povzun A.A., Apokin V.V., Kiseleva A.A. Biorhythmological alalysis of influence of long flights on condition of nonspecific adaptability of organism of female athletes. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2010, no. 10, pp. 102-104.
  5. Shimshieva O.N., Snegirev A.S., Loginov S.I., Efimova Yu.S. Bioinformation analysis of influence of physical load on parameters of cardiovascular system of athletes at latitudinal displacement. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2014. no. 5. pp. 83-85.
  6. Sramek B.B. Hemodynamics and pump-performance monitoring by electrical bioimpedance: new concepts. Problems in Resp.Care. 1989. no. 2 (2). P. 274.

Corresponding author: apokin_vv@mail.ru

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the types of cardiovascular response to physical loads among female athletes of different ages and skill levels in terms of the zone time offset.

The comparison of the effects of physical loads on the circulatory system of the females of different age showed that they differ significantly depending on the zone time offset. Thus, in the junior group, no significant features of the response to the flight state were observed, neither there was a pronounced hemodynamic reaction to the load. The physical loads on their body do not require inclusion of additional compensatory mechanisms and, we believe, there is no reason to change the direction of the regulatory vector. Instead, the group of masters was found to have a pronounced regulatory shift towards sympathicotonia, and a shift of hemodynamic load towards the heart. This suggests that all the changes in the hemodynamic system result from the urgent adaptation of the autonomic regulation system. Awareness of this feature of adaptation will help improve athletic performance in elite sports and reduce the negative impact of intense physical loads on the body of athletes.