Descriptive Analysis of Cardiovascular Demands During Elite Curling

Abstract

Heart rate (HR) response has been shown to effectively reflect metabolic expenditure during physical activity. While HR response has been heavily studied during athletic events such as soccer and running, there has been little research conducted on the physiological responses, such as HR variability, of athletes while participating in the sport of curling. PURPOSE: The aim of exploratory study was to establish the HR response in elite curling athletes and examine how various positions and their physiological demands influence HR in a curling match. METHODS: HR was continuously collected on three elite male curlers during one match of an elite level competition.The match lasted approximately 120 minutes and consisted of each player rotating through three specific positions: house, sweeping, and throwing. HR data was collected using heart rate monitors specifically designed for team use and was analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: HR ranges were 61-192 bpm while in the house position, 110-207 bpm in the sweeping position and 86-203 bpm for when in the throwing position. The mean HR was 91 +/- 31 bpm for the house position, 151+/- 22 bpm for the sweeping position and 120 +/- 27 bpm for the throwing position. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study indicates a high level of physical and cardiovascular demand in elite curling athletes, which has has not been established previously, thus reflecting a high level of metabolic expenditure. These data suggest implications for metabolic expenditures in curling that may be similar to the metabolic demand in other sports requiring high intensity efforts.