Abbreviations: HRV, heart rate variability; ANS, autonomic nervous system; HR, heart rate; DFA, detrended fluctuation analysis; BSJT, blasco specific judo test; VO 2 max, maximum oxygen consumption; SDNN, standard deviation of normal R-R intervals; Rmssd, root mean square difference of successive normal R-R intervals; LF, low frequency power; HF, high frequency power; TP, total power; SPSS, statistical package for the social sciences; ES, effect size; SD, ftandard deviation; RFD, rate of force development; TL PU, time limit pull-up; RFEYDA, spanish judo federation.
IntroductionDuring the last decade, Heart Rate Variability (HRV), analyzed both in time and spectral domains, has been widely used as a noninvasive marker of that ANS regulation of HR dynamics after exercise. Several studies have actually used it to explore post exercise parasympathetic reactivation and evaluate the influence of exercise duration and intensity, 1−9 In this context, the nonlinear approaches have shown to be a way to gain additional information regarding cardiac autonomic modulation after exercise.3,10−12 Unlike time domain and spectral measures, nonlinear methods detect qualitative rather than quantitative changes in HR dynamics.13,14 Fractal analysis, through Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) technique, could be considered as a modification of spectral analysis; but unlike the latter, the former is thought not to be polluted by changes in the external environment,15−17 what makes it especially suitable for assessing HR dynamics in field-based situations. However, only a pair of studies regarding post exercise HRV recovery had previously focused on gender comparison. 18,19 Brown and Brown 18 found no significant differences in any frequency domain HRV index after a VO 2 max test to exhaustion in a trained Master athlete's sample. On the contrary, very recently Mendonca et al. 19 in a non-athletes sample, showed that cardiac autonomic function of women is greater affected by supra maximal exercise than that of men.Concerning autonomic regulation following judo-type efforts, Cottin et al.20 compared a judo combat versus an incremental cycloergometric exercise, but they evaluated the exercise-phase and not the recovery-phase. And very recently, some studies with judokas have shown that HRV and more specifically the non-linear analyses, are suitable to reflect the autonomic impairment following supra maximal efforts, with lower DFA in those judokas who were able to perform better (i.e. more repetitions in a supra maximal test).
2,3However, none of these studies has focused in gender differences regarding HR dynamics and autonomic recovery following judo supra maximal efforts. Even more, little research has been conducted with regard to gender differences in judo performance in an integrative test, with high demands on specific explosive-strength endurance and technical stability under fatigue.We need to deepen on the relationship among specific technical skills and conditional capacities with regard to these HR dynamics during recovery ...