Changes in heart rate variability of athletes during a training camp

Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects regulatory processes of the cardiovascular system and reveals fractal characteristics. In this paper we investigated standard HRV parameters and scaling characteristics in ten athletes before, during, and after a 2-week training camp to assess the effects of short-term overtraining on cardiovascular control. High-resolution ECGs were recorded over 30 min under resting conditions 1 week before the training camp, after 1 week of training in the camp, and after 3-4 days of recovery. Standard HRV analysis was performed according to Task Force recommendations. Scaling characteristics were assessed, applying detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Standard HRV analysis showed significant changes in meanNN and rmssd during the training camp. DFA revealed three distinct regions of scale-invariance and significant alterations during the training camp. In conclusion, HRV might be used to monitor the training state in athletes.