Fatigue is a common physiological phenomenon observed in athletes.The mechanisms of fatigue in sports have been described through various theories, such as energy exhaustion theory, protective inhibition theory, blockage theory, internal environment stability disorder theory, and free radical theory (Pengyi & Changlin, 2016). According to the Pavlov school, exercise conducts nerve impulses to the cerebral cortex, which leads to long-term excitation and increased energy consumption.Additionally, the body inhibits the cerebral cortex for self-protection, which leads to exercise-induced fatigue (Shuxun et al., 2001). The application of external intervention is conducive to fatigue recovery, though exercise-induced fatigue can restore normal physical functions after a period of rest and adjustment (Rong et al., 2010).Heart rate (HR) variability reflects the variation in the heartbeat cycle and can be used to analyze the successive heart cycle time

Purpose: The present study attempted to explore the effects of different tempos of piano music on heart rate and autonomous nervous system during the recovery period after high-intensity exercise. In addition, the study analyzed the influence of different tempos on the recovery period of athletes to devise methods for accelerating fatigue recovery through piano music.Method: A total of 57 college students majoring in physical education were selected as experimental subjects and were divided into three groups, namely Lento group (n = 20), Moderato group (n = 20), and Allegretto group (n = 20; only 17 students completed the experiment). Results: Under the same high-intensity exercise regimen, the three groups did not differ significantly in the body composition, high-intensity exercise ability, and time-domain variation indices, namely heart rate (HR), Heart rate variability index parameters(P > .05). The time-domain variation analysis in the recovery period revealed significant differences in HR frequency domain indices among the groups exposed to different rhythms (P < .05).Conclusion: Moderate-tempo piano music was the most effective in facilitating HR and autonomic nervous system recovery during the recovery period.