Internal or External Training Load Metrics: Which Is Best for Tracking Autonomic Nervous System Recovery and Function in Collegiate American Football?

Sport coaches increasingly rely on external load metrics for designing effective training programs. However, their accuracy in estimating internal load is inconsistent, and their ability to predict autonomic nervous system (ANS) deterioration is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between internal and external training load metrics and ANS recovery and function in college football players.

The effects of relaxation techniques following acute, high intensity football training on parasympathetic reactivation.

Background: Evidence shows relaxation techniques reactivate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) following physiological stressors such as exercise. As such, these techniques may be useful following exercise training of high intensity sports, like collegiate football.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of mindfulness and rest activities on PNS reactivation following training sessions, in a sample of Division-I collegiate, male football athletes.

A Novel Metric "Exercise Cardiac Load" Proposed to Track and Predict the Deterioration of the Autonomic Nervous System in Division I Football Athletes.

Current metrics like baseline heart rate (HR) and HR recovery fail in predicting overtraining (OT), a syndrome manifesting from a deteriorating autonomic nervous system (ANS). Preventing OT requires tracking the influence of internal physiological loads induced by exercise training programs on the ANS. Therefore, this study evaluated the predictability of a novel, exercise cardiac load metric on the deterioration of the ANS.

Recovery of the autonomic nervous system following football training among division I collegiate football athletes: The influence of intensity and time.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is profoundly affected by high intensity exercise. However, evidence is less clear on ANS recovery and function following prolonged bouts of high intensity exercise, especially in non-endurance athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between duration and intensity of acute exercise training sessions and ANS recovery and function in Division I football athletes.