Heart Rate Responses and Cardiovascular Adaptations to Resistance Training Programs Differing in Set Configuration: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: This study explored the changes in blood pressure and cardiac autonomic modulation after training programs differin in set configuration. Methods: Thirty-nine individuals were randomly assigned to a traditional, rest-redistribution, or control group. Throughout five weeks, the traditional and rest-redistribution groups performed 10 sessions of four exercises with the same load, number of repetitions, and total rest time, but with different inter-set rest duration and frequency (traditional group: 4 sets of 8 repetitions, 10 repetition maximum load, 5 min rest between sets and exercises; rest-redistribution group: 16 sets of 2 repetitions, 1 min rest between sets, 5 min rest between exercises). Heart rate and heart rate recovery were recorded during each training session, and heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity and effectiveness, blood pressure, and blood pressure variability were evaluated at rest bedore and after the interventions. Results: During the sessions, traditional sets entailed greater peak heart rate compared to rest-redistribution (P = .018) but mean heart rate, minimum heart rate, and heart rate recovery were similar between training programs (P >.05). Baroreflex effectiveness was reduced after the traditional intervention (P = .013). No changes were detected for the rest of the cardiovascular variables obtained at rest after intervention (P > .05). Conclusions: Despite some differences in heart rate response during exercise, neither traditional nor rest-redistribution resistance training protocols produced changes in cardiac autonomic modulation, sympathetic vasomotor tone, and cardiac baroreflex sensitivity of young healthy active individuals. However, traditional sets affected the baroreflex effectiveness.

Effects of different exercise interventions on heart rate variability and cardiovascular health factors in older adults: a systematic review

Background

Aging impairs physiological processes in the autonomic nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems which are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart rate variability (HRV), the beat-to-beat variations of successive heartbeats, is an indicator of cardiac autonomic control and cardiovascular health. Physical activity has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. However, no review has been conducted to summarize the effects of different exercise modalities on HRV in older adults. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize the effects of endurance, resistance, coordinative, and multimodal exercise interventions on resting HRV and secondary health factors in healthy older adults aged 60 years in average and over.

Methods

Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Ovid, and Cochrane Library) were searched for eligible studies published between 2005 and September 8th, 2020. Two reviewers independently assessed the studies for potential inclusion. Outcome measures were changes in resting HRV indices, baroreflex sensitivity, blood pressure, body fat, body mass, body mass index, cardiac output, distance in the six-minute walking test, stroke volume, total peripheral resistance, and VO₂ max or VO₂ peak from pre to post intervention. The methodological quality of the final data set was assessed using two scales (TESTEX and STARD_HRV). This review was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42020206606.

Results

The literature search retrieved 3991 articles, of which 13 were included in the review. Five studies used multimodal, three studies endurance, two studies resistance, two studies coordinative, and one study used an endurance and a resistance training intervention. The majority of the studies revealed significant positive effects on cardiac autonomic control, except for the resistance training interventions. All exercise modalities improved secondary health factors. The methodological quality assessment revealed a few criteria to improve the quality of and comparability between studies.

Conclusion

This systematic review revealed beneficial effects on cardiac autonomic control in healthy older adults through endurance, coordinative, and multimodal training but not through resistance training. Secondary health factors improved after all types of physical interventions. Future investigations should more thoroughly adhere to methodological standards of exercise interventions and ECG recording for the assessment of autonomic regulation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s11556-021-00278-6.

Effects of Different Training Interventions on Heart Rate Variability and Cardiovascular Health and Risk Factors in Young and Middle-Aged Adults: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Heart rate variability (HRV), the beat-to-beat variation of adjacent heartbeats, is an indicator of the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Increased HRV reflects well-functioning of autonomic control mechanism and cardiovascular health. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a systematic overview of the effects of different physical training modalities on resting HRV and cardiovascular health and risk factors (i.e., baroreflex sensitivity, body fat, body mass, body mass index, blood pressure, heart rate recovery, VO₂ max, and VO₂ peak) in young and middle-aged (mean age of the studies samples up to 44 years), healthy adults.

Methods: A systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines was performed. Studies investigating the effects of different physical interventions (endurance, resistance, high-intensity, coordinative, or multimodal training) on HRV were included. Trials were considered eligible if the intervention lasted for at least 4 weeks and participants were regarded as general healthy. Five electronic databases were searched from 2005 to September 8th, 2020. The methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed by two study quality and reporting assessment scales (TESTEX and STARD_HRV). PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020206606.

Results: Of 3,991 retrieved records, 26 were considered eligible and analyzed. Twelve studies used an endurance training (of which three included high-intensity sessions), six studies resistance training, four studies coordinative training, two studies high-intensity training, and two studies used a multimodal intervention. Overall, the results showed for all types of intervention an improvement in linear and non-linear HRV parameters and cardiovascular health and risk factors. However, quality assessment revealed some methodological and reporting deficits.

Conclusion: This systematic review highlights the benefits of different types of physical training interventions on autonomic function and health parameters in young and middle-aged, healthy adults. In conclusion, higher training intensities and frequencies are more likely to improve HRV. For future studies, we recommend adhering to the criteria of methodological standards of exercise interventions and HRV measurements and encourage the use of non-linear HRV parameters.

Does resistance training modulate cardiac autonomic control? A systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To systematically evaluate the literature on the effects of resistance training (RT) on cardiac autonomic control in healthy and diseased individuals.

METHODS

Electronic databases Pubmed, PEDro, and Scopus were systematically searched from their inception up to June 2018. Randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental trials, and cross-over controlled trials investigating the effect of RT (of at least 4 weeks duration) on cardiac autonomic control assessed either by linear or non-linear measures of heart rate variability (HRV), baroreflex sensitivity, or post-exercise heart rate recovery were included. Of the studies retrieved, 28 were included in the systematic review. Meta-analysis was performed on 21 studies of the total 28 studies.

RESULTS

Quality and characteristic assessment revealed fair quality evidence. The majority of literature on healthy humans suggested no change in cardiac autonomic control following RT. Standardized mean differences (SMD) showed a significant effect of RT on root mean square of successive differences between adjacent inter-beat (R-R) intervals (RMSSD) [SMD 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20-1.73; p = 0.01], ratio of low- to high-frequency power of HRV (LF/HF ratio; SMD -0.72, 95% CI -1.03 to -0.42; p < 0.00001), standard deviation of the instantaneous beat-to-beat variability (SD1; SMD 1.78, 95% CI 1.07-2.49, p < 0.00001), and sample entropy (SMD 1.17, 95% CI 0.36-1.97, p = 0.005) in diseased individuals.

CONCLUSION

This rigorous systematic analysis revealed that RT has no or minimal effects on cardiac autonomic control of healthy individuals, but RT leads to improvement in cardiac autonomic control of diseased individuals.