Heart Rate Variability (HRV) for sports and exercise training

Abstract

Athletes can improve their performance through training and recovery. To achieve their real potential, proper training load manipulation and adequate recovery are essential. Coaches and sports scientists use various methods to monitor athletes training load and recovery. However, most of the testing methods used in the fields are invasive, time-consuming and need specialised knowledge to collect and analyse data. Most importantly, these methods are not feasible to use in the field and expensive for everyday use. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been recognised as a reliable and non-invasive method to objectively monitor athletes during sports and exercise training that can be easily employed in the field. This article provides an overview to the heart rate variability methods and discusses its implications in monitoring athletes during sports and exercise.