Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate heart rate variability and athlete self-report measures of recovery status (ASRM) in response to consecutive domestic and international tournaments among an elite rugby sevens team.
Design: Retrospective.
Methods: Olympic-level rugby sevens players (n=10) recorded post-waking natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD) and ASRM (sleep quality, energy, soreness, recovery and mood) throughout a 1-week baseline period and daily thereafter throughout a domestic and subsequent international tournament, separated by five days. Linear mixed models and Hedge's effect sizes ±95% confidence interval (ES±95% CI) were used to evaluate variation in LnRMSSD and ASRM relative to baseline.
Results: Decrements in various ASRM were observed in response to both tournaments (ES=-0.80±0.91 to -1.73±1.03, p<0.05) and international travel (ES=-1.03±0.93 to -1.70±1.02, p<0.05) whereas decrements in LnRMSSD were only observed in response to the international tournament (ES=-0.89±0.92 to -1.21±0.96, p=0.02-0.07). No clear differences in internal or external match-load parameters were observed between tournaments (ES=-0.35±0.88 to 0.13±0.88, p>0.05).
Conclusions: Greater decrements in cardiac-autonomic activity were observed in response to an international tournament relative to a domestic tournament, despite no difference in match-physical demands. Thus, factors separate from competition alone may impact players' cardiac-autonomic response to an international tournament.
Keywords: Autonomic; Cardiac-parasympathetic; Recovery; Sports science.
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