HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN MALE ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS A CASE STUDY
HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN MALE ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS A CASE STUDY

Summary/Abstract: Objectives. The aim of this paper was to emphasize the importance of HRV measured at rest, as a valuable cue for objectifying the training status of a young gymnast. Thus the coach can further integrate the data into the individualized sports training strategy. Material and methods. The HRV research methodology was applied in this ascertaining study focused on 13 years old male junior athlete practicing artistic gymnastics. This subject was chosen by the coach to be investigated because of his results and potential for performance. The gymnast has an experience of 8 years in sports, being awarded several times the National champion title in children and junior competitions. The HRV measurements were taken by means of BioHarness BT3 units from Zephyr Technologies©. The snapshot-type assessment took place during the competitive stage, early in the morning, before the training session. The analysis of HRV parameters included the 10 minute monitoring during rest in supine position. Results. HRV analysis demonstrates that at rest the gymnast generally fits into the normal values of other athletes emphasized in various studies. Basically the indexes calculated for the time domain, frequency domain and nonlinear analysis prove that measuring HRV during rest is a good indicator for the capability of the subject to address the autonomous nervous system. Conclusions. These results marked the good balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways. This kind of research should incorporate long term periods of monitoring so that data bases for each athlete should be available and subject for analysis and further adjustments of the training contents.

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