Do sprinters and distance runners have the same autonomic nervous system activity and hemodynamic responses?

Abstract

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has an important role in physical performance. However, the cardiac ANS activity between sprinters (SPR) and distance runners (DR) has been poorly explored. Not much research has been conducted to determine the differences between sprinters (SPR) and distance runners (DR). We aimed to investigate the influences of ANS activity and circulatory dynamics on different types of exercise training. For this study, five male SPR and seven male DR, aged 18–24 years old (21.2±2.0 years), were recruited from Tohoku University sports club. They had trained using the same exercise type for more than 3 years. We measured weight, height, body mass index, muscle mass, bone mass, visceral fat rating, basal metabolic rate, and part fat percentage and part muscle mass. We also measured blood pressure (BP) and heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during the postural change from the supine position to the sitting position. Spectral analysis of HRV was performed to evaluate low‐frequency power (LF), high‐frequency power (HF), and the LF/HF ratio to observe the changes in cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity. Data regarding type, duration, and content of the training were obtained using questionnaires after the measurements. Significant differences were observed between both groups with regards to bone mass and left‐hand muscle mass. SPR had significantly higher HRV in supine position compared with DR. The HF of SPR was significant higher than DR in all positions. During postural change from the supine to the sitting position, LF/HF was significantly higher in DR compared with the SPR. Systolic BP in SPR was observed to significantly increase during postural change from the supine position to sitting position, while the systolic BP during postural change was reduced in the DR group. We thus observed different responses in both groups suggesting significant differences in ANS activity and circulatory dynamics between SPR and DR.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.