The Heart of Trained Athletes

Electrocardiograms of Collegiate Football Athletes

“…Training is naturally designed to improve these correlates of performance, and consists predominately of high intensity resistance training and activities that require short bursts of high-intensity, whole-body movements. As Maron and Pelliccia 4 increases in cavity size. The ECG changes reflect the cardiac remodeling that accompanies physical training.…”

“…2 The surface ECG reflects changes in cardiac morphology, and physically trained men and women often exhibit ECG patterns that would be considered abnormal in the untrained. 4,7 Defining the limits of ECG changes in healthy athletes engaged in various sports provides clinicians with criteria essential for an accurate diagnosis of health and disease.…”

“…The ECG changes reflect the cardiac remodeling that accompanies physical training. 4,7 Thus, cardiac adaptations and related ECG changes are expected as a consequence of sport-specific training by American football athletes.…”

“…More men than women athletes exhibit ECG abnormalities, and data are limited for African-American athletes. 4,7 Most sport-related ECG research has been conducted on endurance athletes, and rarely have American football athletes been studied. American football players were not included in a recent review on cardiac adaptations in athletes.…”

“…American football players were not included in a recent review on cardiac adaptations in athletes. 4 Only professionals were included as subjects in the 2 ECG studies in football athletes published since 1984, with up to 55% showing at least 1 ECG abnormality. 8,9 To our knowledge, similar ECG studies have not been published for collegiate American football athletes.…”