Middle-distance runners’ skill-specific functionality profiling study

Фотографии: 

ˑ: 

PhD, Associate Professor E.V. Krivoruchenko1        
P.I. Yakovlev2
M.V. Petrov2
M.G. Artamonova2
1Institute of Physical Culture and Sport of Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakuts
2Yakut State Agricultural Academy, Yakutsk

Keywords: track and field athletics, middle-distance running, functional condition, heart rate variability.

The efficiency of the modern athletic training process largely depends on the ability to use integrated control measures as a management tool that provides feedback between trainers and athletes, and thereupon, increases the management decision level during the training process [4, 6]. Monitoring of athletes’ functional condition features prominently within the middle-distance runner training system [3, 4]. To date, there is a large number of studies on heart rate variability (HRV) in athletes [1, 2, 5]. Assessment and factor analysis of HRV at rest and during exercise provide a complete picture of ​​ athletes’ functional condition and adaptation potential [1, 5]. At the same time, there are no data on their functional condition profiling depending on the sympathetic-parasympathetic balance, purpose of training loads and sports qualification of middle-distance runners.

Objective of the study was to profile the middle-distance runners’ skill-specific functionality by the heart rate variability (HRV) indices using a factor analysis.

Methods and structure of the study. The study involved 37 16-20 year-old middle-distance runners (males) of various qualifications: Class II - 15 athletes, Class I - 15 athletes, CMS - 7 athletes. The HRV rates were recorded at rest and at the 10th minute of recovery after standard physical load (800m maximum intensity run).

The factor analysis applied in the earlier studies made it possible to determine the leading factors of the neurohumoral regulation and its links (sympathetic, parasympathetic, humoral-metabolic, central) affecting the functional and physical fitness of middle-distance runners of various qualifications.

Since most of the values obtained during the heart rate variability analysis, are closely correlated, for the purpose of practical application, including a factor analysis, the authors [1, 5] recommend registering the following indices both at rest and during functional tests: mode amplitude in % (Amo), showing the degree of influence of the sympathetic nervous system; variation range in ms (VR),  showing the degree of influence of the parasympathetic nervous system; very low frequency wave number (a2) corresponding to the number of spectral lines in the very low frequency range (from 0.003 to 0.04 Hz) of fluctuations in the heart rate and reflecting the level of activity of the hormonal (humoral) systems and cerebral ergotropic systems of the body; low frequency wave number (a1), corresponding to the number of spectral lines in the low frequency range (from 0.04 to 0.15 Hz) of fluctuations in the heart rate and reflecting primarily the level of activity of the sympathetic nervous system; high frequency wave number (d), corresponding to the number of spectral lines in the high frequency range (from 0.15 to 0.40 Hz) of fluctuations in the heart rate and reflecting primarily the level of activity of the parasympathetic nervous system; very high frequency wave number (b), corresponding to the number of spectral lines in the very high frequency range (from 0.40 to 1.00 Hz) of fluctuations in the heart rate and showing the intensity of immediate effects of the central (subcortical) structures of the brain in the event of any non-stationary states of the body; power of very low frequency fluctuations in the heart rate spectrogram in ms2 (VLF), reflecting the level of activity of the hormonal systems and cerebral ergotropic (humoral-metabolic) systems of the body; the activity level of low frequency fluctuations in the heart rate spectrogram in ms2·Hz-1 (LF), reflecting primarily the power of the sympathetic nervous system; power of high frequency fluctuations in the heart rate spectrogram in ms2·Hz-1 (HF), reflecting primarily the activity level of the parasympathetic nervous system; power of very high frequency fluctuations in the heart rate spectrogram in ms2·Hz-1 (VHF), reflecting the intensity of immediate effects of the central (subcortical) structures of the brain in the event of any unstable (non-stationary) states of the body; total spectrum power of the heart rhythm in ms2·Hz-1 (TSP), reflecting total intensity of neurohumoral effects on the heart rhythm; the number of R-R interval couples that differ by more than 50 ms throughout the test (nn50%), characterizing the process steadiness and determined mainly by the immediate effects of the central structures of the brain and the parasympathetic nervous system.

Results and discussion. We singled out three generalized factors of the functional condition of Class II middle-distance runners amounting to 84.1% of the HRV dispersion. The first factor of the initial autonomic balance includes the indicators characterizing the sympathico-parasympathetic balance at rest - 48.9%. The second factor is formed by the indicators that reflect the level of activity of the sympathetic channel of the heart rate regulation in response to physical loads. The factor of sympathetic influence amounts to 23.1% of the total sample variance. The third factor is the factor of unstable conditions, which amounts to 12.1% of HRV (see Table 1).

Table1. Leading factors of functional condition of middle-distance runners of various qualifications (significant indicators only)

HRV indices

Sports qualification

Class II

Class I

CMS

Factor No

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3

Amo

-0.856

–

–

–

–

–

–

-0.815

–

Variation range

0.732

–

–

–

0.854

–

–

0.908

–

a2

0.864

–

–

–

0.788

–

–

0.919

–

a1

0.708

–

–

–

0.905

–

–

0.931

–

d

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.821

–

b

–

–

–

–

0.863

–

–

–

0.751

vlf

–

–

–

–

0.713

–

–

0.715

–

lf

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.806

–

hf

0.862

–

–

–

0.843

–

–

–

–

vhf

0.825

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.789

tp

0.713

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.883

–

nn50%

0.841

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Amol

–

-0.915

–

-0.905

–

–

0.932

–

–

Variation rangel

–

–

–

0.797

–

–

-0.924

–

–

a2l

–

–

–

0.885

–

–

0.891

–

–

a1l

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

dl

–

–

–

0.750

–

–

-0.922

–

–

bl

–

–

–

–

–

-0.797

–

–

-0.846

vlfl

–

–

–

0.782

–

–

0.791

–

–

lfl

–

-0.893

–

0.774

–

–

0.866

–

–

hfl

–

–

–

0.830

–

–

–

–

–

vhfl

–

–

-0.805

–

–

0.728

–

–

0.866

tpl

–

-0.937

–

0.900

–

–

0.862

–

–

nn50%l

–

–

0.700

0.716

–

–

–

–

–

Contribution to the general profile of the functional condition, %

48.9

23.1

12.1

42.2

34.1

13.2

47.5

34.2

10.4

Note. Subscript "l" indicates the values obtained after standard load.

Class I middle-distance runners were also characterized by three factors presenting 89.5% of the sample variance. The first factor – total neurohumoral control during exercise was the most remarkable (42.2%). The second factor (34.1%) was the initial autonomic balance and the third factor (13.2%) was the unstable conditions arising when exercising.

The middle-distance runners who had sports qualification of CMS were characterized by three factors that accounted for 92.1% of the HRV dispersion. The first factor (47.5%) was the total neurohumoral control, which determines the athletes’ bodily response to physical loads, the second factor (34.2%) was the initial autonomic balance and the third factor (10.4%) was the unstable conditions.

Conclusion. When profiling the middle-distance runners’ skill-specific functionality by the HRV indices, the following factors of different physiological effects were selected: initial autonomic balance; sympathetic effects; vagal effects; humoral-metabolic effects; total neurohumoral controls; and unstable conditions. The combination and specific gravities of the factors were found skills-specific.

Each detected factor can be used to assess the current functional condition of the athlete, exert urgent control over the sports training process to optimize it, and as an independent predictor of risk of disadaptation and overtraining. The findings of the factor analysis show that, among other indices, the heart rate variability indices shall be taken into account in the prospects’ selection process and competitive progress forecasts in the training progress tests and analyses, as well as during the current monitoring of athletes’ fitness level.

References

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  6. Cherkashin I.A., Krivoruchenko E.V., Skryabin S.P., Okhlopkov P.P. Nauchno-metodicheskoe obespechenie podgotovki sportivnogo rezerva Respubliki Sakha (Yakutiya) [Methodological support of training of sports reserve of Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2015, no.10, pp. 51-53.

Corresponding author: churapcha_lena@mail.ru

Abstract

The study profiles the middle-distance runners’ skill-specific functionality by the heart rate variability indices using a factor analysis. The factors of different physiological effects selected for the study purposes were as follows: initial autonomic balance; sympathetic effects; vagal effects; humoral-metabolic effects; total neurohumoral controls; and unstable conditions. The combination and specific gravities of the factors were found skills-specific. The functionality tests of the sample groups showed dominance of the following factors in the following skill classes: initial autonomic balance (49%) in Class II; and total neurohumoral control after physical loads in Class I and CMS (42% and 48%, respectively). Findings of the factor analysis show that the heart rate variability indices shall be taken into account in the prospects’ selection process and competitive progress forecasts in the training progress tests and analyses.