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Postexercise autonomic function after repeated-sprints training

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Abstract

Purpose

We examined the effects of an 8-week repeated-sprint (RS) training protocol on postexercise parasympathetic reactivation (PNSr) in healthy adults.

Methods

Eighteen male adults (24.3 ± 3.7 years) were assigned to either of two groups. One group (n = 9) performed RS training (EXP, 3 times week−1, 18 maximal all-out 15-m sprints interspersed with 17 s of passive recovery); the other served as the control group (CON, n = 9). Performance before, during, and after was assessed by measuring RS ability time (S dec) and total sprint time. The subjects were then seated for 10 min immediately after each trial and postexercise HR recovery (HRR), and vagal-related HR variability (HRV) indices were measured.

Results

All subjects demonstrated a decrease in S dec. However, only EXP showed a decrease in total sprint time (−10.5 % of baseline value). Using a qualitative statistical analysis method, we found a likely to almost certain positive effect of RS training on HR. The mean of each HRR and HRV index indicated a greater change in PNSr in EXP than in CON (e.g. with a 78/22/1 % chance to demonstrate a positive/trivial/negative effect on HRR60s after RS training; 74/21/5 % on LN rMSSD5–10min). Large correlations were noted between the changes in S dec [r = 0.59, 90 % CI (0.43)], total sprint time [r = −0.61 (0.42)] and HRR60s.

Conclusion

RS training seems to be an effective method to improve postexercise PNSr in healthy adults. Also, HRR60s appears to be a method for evaluating positive adaption to RS training.

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Abbreviations

ANS:

Autonomic nervous system

CON:

Control group

EXP:

Experimental group

HRR:

Heart rate recovery

HRR60s (beats min−1):

Number of heart beats recovered in 60 s after exercise cessation

HRRτ (s):

Time constant of short-time heart rate recovery

HRV:

Heart rate variability

Ln HF5–10min (ms2):

Natural logarithm of the high-frequency power

Ln rMSSD5–10min (ms):

Natural logarithm of the square root of the mean sum of the squared differences between R–R intervals during the last 5-min recovery

Ln SDNN5–10min (ms):

Natural logarithm of the standard deviation of R–R intervals

pNNx 5–10min (%):

Percentage of change in successive normal sinus intervals during the last 5-min recovery with increases larger than x ms

PNS:

Parasympathetic nervous system

PNSr :

Parasympathetic nervous system reactivation

RS:

Repeated sprint

S dec (%):

Percentage of sprint decrement

SNS:

Sympathetic nervous system

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the subjects for participating in the study. We also extend our gratitude to Matteo Bonato and Lorenzo Pugliese for their valuable technical assistance during data acquisition, Lupo Guiati for his logistical support during the investigation, and Kenneth A. Britsch for checking the manuscript for English. This study was funded by an internal grant from the Università degli Studi di Milano for the support of research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Kramer 4/a, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Gianluca Vernillo, Luca Agnello, Silvia Di Meco, Giampiero Merati & Antonio La Torre

  2. CeRiSM, Research Center for Sport, Mountain and Health, University of Verona, Roveretos, TN, Italy

    Gianluca Vernillo

  3. Human Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Gianluca Vernillo

  4. Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Barbuti

  5. Centro Interuniversitario di Medicina Molecolare e Biofisica Applicata (CIMMBA), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Barbuti

  6. Laboratory of Experimental Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy

    Giovanni Lombardi

  7. IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

    Giampiero Merati

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  1. Gianluca Vernillo
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  2. Luca Agnello
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Correspondence to Gianluca Vernillo.

Additional information

Communicated by Keith Phillip George.

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Vernillo, G., Agnello, L., Barbuti, A. et al. Postexercise autonomic function after repeated-sprints training. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 2445–2455 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3226-5

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