New study: “Effects of Position and Injury Status on Associations Between Preseason Workload and Heart-Rate Variability Profiles in American College Football Players”

Main findings:

• The effect of very high preseason training loads on HRV in college football players varies by position group.
• Skill group players who consistently performed the highest total workloads had the most stable HRV, which typically reflects high/increasing fitness.
• Conversely, mid-skill group players who performed the highest total workloads had the least stable HRV (often reflects fatigue), along with greater daily variation in high intensity outputs.
• Thus, skill players tolerated high loads with stable HRV while mid-skill players better maintained high intensity movement and stable HRV at more moderate workloads.
• HRV tended to be lower in those who were playing hurt (“go as can” status), and we suspect that the association between HRV and injury is bidirectional (low HRV precedes injury, injury causes reduced HRV).

Read the full text here: Effects of Position and Injury Status on Associations Between Preseason Workload and Heart-Rate Variability Profiles in American College Football Players