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Int J Sports Med 2011; 32(8): 598-605
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1275356
Training & Testing

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Reliability of Resting and Postexercise Heart Rate Measures

H. Al Haddad1 , 2 , 3 , P. B. Laursen4 , 5 , D. Chollet2 , S. Ahmaidi1 , M. Buchheit1 , 3
  • 1Laboratoire de Recherche, EA 3300 «Adaptations physiologiques à l'exercice et réadaptation à l'effort», Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
  • 2Laboratoire de Recherche EA-3832 «Centre d'études des transformations en activité physique et sportive» Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Rouen, Mont Saint Aignan, France
  • 3Sport Science Section, Physiology Unit, Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, Doha, Qatar
  • 4New Zealand Academy of Sport, Auckland, New Zealand
  • 5Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), School of Sport and Recreation, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand
Further Information

Publication History

accepted after revision February 25, 2011

Publication Date:
13 May 2011 (online)

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Abstract

In this study, we compared the reliability of short-term resting heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) and postexercise parasympathetic reactivation (i. e., HR recovery (HRR) and HRV) indices following either submaximal or supramaximal exercise. On 4 different occasions, beat-to-beat HR was recorded in 15 healthy males (21.5±1.4 yr) during 5 min of seated rest, followed by submaximal (Sub) and supramaximal (Supra) exercise bouts; both exercise bouts were followed by 5 min of seated recovery. Reliability of all HR-derived indices was assessed by the typical error of measurement expressed as a coefficient of variation (CV,%). CV for HRV indices ranged from 4 to 17%, 7 to 27% and 41 to 82% for time domain, spectral and ratio indices, respectively. The CV for HRR ranged from 15 to 32%. Spectral CVs for HRV were lower at rest compared with Supra (e. g., natural logarithm of the high frequency range (LnHF); 12.6 vs. 26.2%; p=0.02). HRR reliability was not different between Sub and Supra (25 vs. 14%; p=0.10). The present study found discrepancy in the CVs of vagal-related heart rate indices; a finding that should be appreciated when assessing changes in these variables. Further, Supra exercise was shown to worsen the reliability of HRV-spectral indices.

Key words

heart rate variability - heart rate recovery - typical error - repeatability - autonomic nervous system - vagal-related indices

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Correspondence

Dr. Hani Al HaddadPhD 

Laboratoire de Recherche

EA 3300 «Adaptations

physiologiques á l'exercice et

réadaptation á l'effort»

Faculté des Sciences du Sport

Université de Picardie Jules Verne

F-80025 Amiens

France

Phone: +333/22/82 89 36

Fax: +333/22/82 79 10

Email: alhaddad.hani@gmail.com