Study on the effect of endurance training on HRV in athletes

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a noninvasive, stable, accurate and easy index to measure and monitor the autonomic nervous system in recent years. As the fusionof disciplines and development of HRV analysis, the application of HRV in sports field is very extensive. It can be mainly used to improve athletic performance, evaluate the exercise capacity, and quantify the fatigue of athletes. It is also used to study the effects of different sports on the function of cardio-pulmonary, and to guide sports practice better. So it is reviewed from the perspective to study HRV in sports. Thischapterchapter centers on the effect of endurance training on HRV in athletes, and reviews the application of HRV in endurance sports training and the effect of endurance training on HRV of athletes, which is analyzed at rest, during the endurance training and after endurance training. It is concluded that long-term endurance exercise training makes changes on HRV, reduces static HR and its effects are different in accordance with athletes' gender, age, sports type, current situation of sports, exercise intensity and exercise methods. Thus, it is tough to draw a widely admitted conclusion. Nevertheless, regardless of aerobic or anaerobic endurance training, regular and systematic endurance exercise training is certain to bring benefits to cardiac autonomic nerve.