Abstract
The present study aimed to examine maximum heart rate (HRmax) in elite athletes. 130 (68 male, 23.2 ± 4.8 years, 62 female, 21.0 ± 5.1 years) endurance trained athletes, 40 (24 male, 24.0 ± 5.6 years, 16 female, 22.8 ± 4.6 years) anaerobically trained athletes, and 95 (39 male, 24.8 ± 4.8 years, 56 female, 23.0 ± 4.8 years) sedentary participants entered the study. All participants undertook a standard ramp protocol to volitional exhaustion to establish HRmax. Significant differences in HRmax were identified due to mode of exercise (p < 0.001) and gender (p = 0.001). The mean HRmax for the three modes of exercise were; aerobic 190.3 (SEE = 0.66), anaerobic 190.1 (SEE = 1.12) and sedentary 194.8 (SEE = 0.73) beats · min-1 estimated at the average age of 23.1 years. The slope parameter for age varied between genders, the beta slope for females being significantly more negative than male subjects (- 1.1 beats · min-1 · year-1 vs. - 0.55 beats · min-1 · year-1, respectively). The predictive HRmax equation for male athletes was HRmax = 202 - 0.55 × age, and for female athletes it was HRmax = 216 - 1.09 × age. HRmax is similar between aerobically and anaerobically trained athletes. HRmax is significantly lower in athletes compared with age matched sedentary counterparts. The mechanisms underlying the lower HRmax remain to be elucidated.
Key words
autonomic control - heart rate - prediction - athlete
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Prof. PhD Gregory P. Whyte
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science
Liverpool John Moores University
Henry Cotton Campus Truman Street
Liverpool L3 2ET
United Kingdom
Phone: +441512314323
Fax: +441512314353
Email: gregwhyte27@yahoo.co.uk
