PhD, Professor V.A. Vishnevskiy
Surgut State University, Surgut

Keywords: cyclic workout test with closed power loop, hysteresis loop.

Background. In modern preventive medicine, sport physiology, labour physiology, astrobiology and many other research disciplines high priority is given to body functionality tests to generate objective quantitative bodily performance and adaptability rating data [4]. It was in 1982 that G.M. Yakovlev, V.P. Andriyanov, N.K. Lesnoy [5] and research team under leadership of V.I. Davidenko offered a body functionality mobilisation rating method based on the cyclic workout with a closed power loop [1]. The load in the test was increased at the rate of 0.55W/s from zero to 230W and then decreased with the same rate, with a special electromechanical attachment to a cyclic ergometer being applied to control the load. Square of hysteresis loop in the coordinate system ‘load vs. physiological parameter’ was measured to obtain the phased bodily response rates versus the rated loads. The authors emphasised that the square of hysteresis loop may be applied to rate individual bodily functionality. Later on the test method was improved with due mathematical tools applied to measure the hysteresis loop; the range of test rate was expanded; the test was updated to include simultaneous recording of the gas exchange rates; and the latter were found to be in a good correlation (r =0,80-0,97) with parameters of the hysteresis loop [2].

However, the above test method requires a special electromechanical attachment to a cyclic ergometer; the test data need to be profiled versus the body mass; and it allows too discretional interpretations of the tested variations in the hysteresis loop. These constraints prevent from the test method being widely applied. Further research of its forecast potential may be needed, and it was a subject to our study.

Objective of the study was to analyse the performance forecast potential of the cyclic work test with closed power loop in application to academic athletes.

Methods and structure of the study. Subject to the study were 38 sporting second-to-third year students majoring in different disciplines at Surgut State University. We applied our own adapted version of cyclic workout test with closed power loop to rate the bodily physiological reserves. Primary load was rated versus body mass as provided by the V.L. Karpman classification matrix designed for the general working capacity rating [3]. The subjects were subject to step test on a cycle ergometer TechnoGym with the loads increased and decreased in five 15W steps, each step taking 2 minutes, with the heart rate fixed after each load step by Polar cardio tester. The hysteresis loop generated by the test was analysed by the software we had designed in cooperation with O.V. Vishnevskiy, research associate of the Cytology and Genetics Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The software gives the means to obtain a variety of key parameters including the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated loading phase (α), pitch angle in the isoaccelerated unloading phase (β); and square of the hysteresis loop (S).

Prior to the experiment, the basic data of the subjects were obtained by the relevant survey and tests including: vocational sport; sport qualification; body mass; fat and muscle mass; wrist and body dynamometry; heart rate; blood pressure; Kerdo Vegetation Index (KVI); vital capacity; orthostatic test index; response to standard physical load in the Letunov’s test; type of adaptability to load; maximal anaerobic capacity rated by the cycle ergometer test and Margaria test; maximal oxygen consumption rated by the sub-maximal performance test; left/ right cerebral hemisphere activity rates; functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres; mental/emotional stress rate; attention switch rate; motor response rate; response to moving object rated by ‘Activation-meter’ Computerised System; personal and state anxiety rate; and Romberg’s eyes-closed- and eyes-open test rates.

At the second stage, the subjects were tested by the ORTO Expert Test System with Science software to obtain the HR rhythmograms; followed by the bodily oxygen consumption being profiled using the Fitmate PRO’ Computerised System, with the HR recorded throughout the test process by the Polar system. The performance forecast potential of every parameter of the hysteresis loop was rated by means of correlation analysis versus the body mass indices and sport disciplines (martial arts, team sports, endurance and strength sports).

Study results and discussion. We believe that in our version of the test the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated loading phase (α) may be applied as the individual bodily functionality reserve mobilisation rate dependent on the subjects’ adaptability and fitness rates. Our studies show that high pitch angles α are typical for the individuals tested with poor orthostatic test rates; low oxygen consumption per kilo of body mass; and high Romberg’s test rates: see Table 1 hereunder. The heart rates (rhythmograms) show the above data being typical for the athletes with high sympathetic and low parasympathetic nervous activity rates. Correlations with the competitive fitness and vegetative balance rates are obvious when the pitch angles α are matched with the oxygen consumption rates: SDNNr (r = -0.410, p < 0.05); RMSSDr (r = -0.467, p < 0.05); LF (r = 0.423, p < 0.05); HF (r = -0.504, p < 0.05); LF/HF (r = 0.495, p < 0.05); VLF/HF (r = 0.602, p < 0.01); LFN (r = 0.430, p < 0.05); HFN (r = -0.430, p < 0.05).

In 80kg+ heavyweight subjects, the above rate was found to negatively correlate with the sport qualification (r = -0.495, p < 0.05). At the same time the pitch angles α in the heavyweight subjects were found to positively correlate with the maximal anaerobic capacity (r = 0.708, p < 0.01) and trunk strength (r = 0.782, p < 0.01) (and, hence, with the high shares of fast and strong muscle fibres); and it gives reasons to assume that anaerobic processes heavily contribute to this process. This rate shows an expressed correlation with the maximal anaerobic capacity rate (r = 0.808, p < 0.01) in martial arts; and with muscle mass in strength sports (r = -0.642, p < 0.05); in team sports, it was found to negatively correlate with sport qualification (r = -0.863, p < 0.01) and motor response rate (r = -0.651, p < 0.05); and positively correlate with trunk strength (r = 0.710, p < 0.01), muscle mass (r = 0.623, p < 0.05) and maximal anaerobic capacity rate in the Margragia Test (r = 0.615, p < 0.05).

Table 1. Correlations of different test parameters of the HR hysteresis loop (n = 21)

* with р < 0.05; ** with p < 0.01

It is commonly assumed that the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated unloading phase (β) vs. HR is a fair characteristic of the individual functionality dependent on the metabolic processes rehabilitation rate, loads and individual adaptability rate. Our study data show that the pitch angle β basically correlates with the bodily aerobic capacity as verified by its positive correlations with the respiratory rates; pulmonary ventilation rate; general oxygen consumption rate and oxygen consumption per kilo rate; exhaled oxygen rate; and its negative correlations with the square of hysteresis loop for pulmonary ventilation, HR, maximal anaerobic capacity in the cycle ergometer test and Margaria test; and the Kerdo Vegetation Index (KVI): see Table 1. In case of the 80+kg athletes, the rate was found to positively correlate with the maximal oxygen consumption per kilo (r = 0.491, p < 0.05) and the functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres (r = 0.530, p < 0.05); and in lower-weight athletes, it showed a positive correlation with the rated response to moving object (r = 0.524, p < 0.05).

Square of the hysteresis loop (S) was found to be indicative of the bodily functionality in the tests. The loop in itself shows how the bodily functional reserve is mobilised depending on the load; whilst a square of the loop is indicative of the second derivative of the mobilisation capacity [2]. Our study data show that square of the hysteresis loop for the HR is generally a characteristic of the total working capacity as verified by the positive correlations of this rate with the loop squares for pulmonary ventilation, total and per-kilo oxygen consumption rates, exhaled oxygen rate; and its negative correlations with the β angles for pulmonary ventilation and HR: see Table 1. The square of hysteresis loop in the oxygen consumption test again shows multiple correlations with the HR rhythmogram: SDNNr (r = -0.449, p < 0.05); Xr (r = -0.444, p < 0.05); RMSSDr (r = -0.466, p < 0.05); TF (r = -0.430, p < 0.05); VLF (r = -0.434, p < 0.05); LF/HF (r = 0.515, p < 0.05); TFR (r = -0.431, p < 0.05); VLFR (r = -0.427, p < 0.05); LF/HFR (r = 0.552, p < 0.01). Therefore, it was found that the higher is the square of hysteresis loop the shorter is the range of the HR rhythmogram spectrum, the lower is the parasympathetic activity and metabolic regulation level.

The higher is the square of hysteresis loop in HR test, the higher is the body mass and the maximal anaerobic capacity in the cycle ergometer test. In the 80kg+ heavyweights, the square of the hysteresis loop in the HR test shows a negative correlation with the maximal oxygen consumption per kilo of body mass (r = -0.693, p < 0.01); and in lower-weight athletes it shows a positive correlation with the body mass (r = 0.476, p < 0.05) and a negative correlation with the trunk strength (r = -0.682, p < 0.01). Square of the hysteresis loop is the most informative in team sports where it shows a negative correlation with vital capacity per kilo of body mass (r = -0.894, p < 0.01), maximal oxygen consumption per kilo of body mass (r = -0.695, p < 0.05), and positive correlation with the resting HR (r = 0.725, p < 0.05), percentage of effective body mass (r = 0.849, p < 0.01), body mass (r = 0.856, p < 0.01), fat mass (r = 0.746, p < 0.01), maximal anaerobic capacity (r = 0.654, p < 0.05), and wrist strength rate (r = 0.919, p < 0.01).

Conclusion. We demonstrated that the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated loading phase depends on individual adaptability, autonomic balance and individual muscular tissue quality; with the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated loading phase being generally determined by the individual aerobic capacities; with the square of the hysteresis loop being basically indicative of the general physical working capacity, regulatory system performance and efficiency of bodily functions. Different characteristics of the hysteresis loop were found to offer different performance forecast potentials depending on the body mass and sport discipline.

References

1. Davidenko V.I., Mozzhukhin A.S., Telegin V.V. Sistema fiziologicheskikh rezervov sportsmena [System of physiological reserves in athlete]. Kharakteristika funktsionalnykh rezervov sportsmena [Characteristics of athlete’s functional reserves]. Leningrad: GDOIFK publ., 1982, P. 3.
2. Davidenko D.N., Rudenko G.V., Chistyakov V.A. Metodika otsenki mobilizatsii funktsionalnykh rezervov organizma po ego reaktsii na dozirovannuyu nagruzku [Technique to assess mobilization of bodily functional reserves by response to graded load]. Uchenye zapiski un-ta im. P.F. Lesgafta, 2010, no. 12 (70), pp. 52-57.
3. Karpman V.L., Belotserkovskiy Z.B., Gudkov I.A. Testirovanie v sportivnoy meditsine [Testing in sports medicine]. Moscow: Fizkultura i sport publ., 1988, pp. 21-46.
4. Sokolov A.V., Kalinin R.E., Stoma A.V. Teoriya i praktika diagnostiki funktsionalnykh rezervov organizma [Theory and practice of diagnostics of bodily functional reserves]. Moscow: GEOTAR-Media publ., 2015, 176 p.
5. Yakovlev G.M., Andrianov V.P., Lesnoy N.K. Novy metodicheskiy podkhod v issledovanii adaptatsii sistemy krovoobrascheniya k tsiklicheskoy fizicheskoy nagruzke [New methodical approach to study of adaptation of circulatory system to cyclic exercise]. Kharakteristika funktsionalnykh rezervov sportsmena [Characteristics of athlete’s functional reserves]. Leningrad, 1982, pp. 83-88.

Corresponding author: apokin_vv@mail.ru

Abstract

The study was designed to analyse the performance forecast potential of the cyclic workout test with a closed power loop. Subject to the study were 38 sporting second-to-third year students majoring in different disciplines at Surgut State University. We applied our own adapted version of the cyclic workout test with a closed power loop. We demonstrated that the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated loading phase depends on individual adaptability, autonomic balance and individual muscle tissue quality; with the pitch angle in the isoaccelerated loading phase being generally determined by the individual aerobic capacities; with the square of the hysteresis loop being basically indicative of the general physical working capacity, regulatory system performance and efficiency of the bodily functions. Different characteristics of the hysteresis loop were found to offer different performance forecast potentials depending on the body mass and sport discipline.