HEART RATE RECOVERY AFTER A GRADED EXERCISE TEST IN SPRINTERS, MIDDLE DISTANCE, LONG DISTANCE AND 400 METER RUNNERS

This study tested the heart rate recovery in sprinters (S), middle distance runners (MD), long distance (LD), and 400m runners (S4) after performed an incremental treadmill test (1 km/h speed increase per minute, 1.5% grade) to volitional exhausting, and walked at 5 km.hl during the first five minutes of recovery. Data were analyzed during five minutes of post exercise recovery in 10s interval and compared between the different national level male running groups. The long distance group (LD) had lower maximum heart rate (HR max) 187.1 +/- 7.4 and faster postexercise recovery of % HRR max. The 400m runners (S4) had highest heart rate (HRmax) 200.6 +/- 6.8 and slower heart rate recovery (HRR) and recovery of %HRRmax. The heart rate recovery (HRR) was fastes in long distance runners (LD), while 400m runners (S4) had the slowest heart rate recovery. Repeated measures of ANOVA showed that long distance group (LD) had lower heart rate (HR) than other running groups during intervals of recovery. These results suggest that athletes competing in running events with predominantly aerobic metabolic demands are likely to have lower maximum heart rate (HRmax) nad faster heart rate recovery HRR during the first five minutes after a grade exercise treadmill test than runners competing in events with predominantly anaerobic metabolic demands.