Associate Professor, Dr.Med. N.N. Zakharyeva¹
Professor, PhD E.N. Yashkina^1
1Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and Tourism (GTSOLIFK), Moscow

Keywords: elite rhythmic gymnasts, functionality, autonomous nervous heart rate regulation typing data, blood pressure, respiration, intellectual workability, stabilometrics.

Background. Modern rhythmic gymnastics is an Olympic sport highly demanding to the physical abilities of the athletes as it requires the physiological systems work with the maximum intensity so the athletes could compete at the top limit of the natural human abilities (E.M. Berdicheskaya, 2009; G.A. Makarova, I.B. Baranovskaya, T.G. Bushueva, 2013). Numbers of the high-ranking competitions in rhythmic gymnastics have been on the rise for the last few years both in Russia and abroad. High motivations and stringent competitive conditions force the athletes’ functional qualities and abilities to be developed and excelled for success. In this context, a growing priority is given to the theoretical and practical aspects, with a special emphasis on the physiological conditions, of the training and competitive systems applicable in rhythmic gymnastics (N.V. Kazakevich, E.V. Pyshnaya, 2009).

It is the heart rate variability that is commonly ranked among the most important indicators of the athletes’ functionality and adaptation to the loads in the training and competitive processes (R.I. Baevskiy, N.I. Shlyk, 2011; N.I. Shlyk, 2009; N.N. Zakharyeva et al., 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016; T.S. Ivanova, 2013; L.N. Botova, 2011; А.Е. Aubert, 2003); А.E. Aubert, B. Seps and F. Beckers, 2003; C. Blásquez, G.R. Font, L.С. Ortís, 2009; V. Pichot, 2000). It has been found that certain types of the autonomous nervous regulation of the heart rate are associated with the relevant responses to stressors by the functional systems (blood circulation, respiration, central nervous, immune systems etc.) (N.N. Zakharyeva, N.Y. Nikiforova, 2008) that are generally characteristic of the individual adaptive abilities in the athletic training/ competitive process. The available reference literature, however, provides quite a contradictory information on how certain bio-typing data indicative of the heart rate, respiration and blood pressure control may be used to profile the elite rhythmic gymnasts’ functionality and forecast their potential competitive success in the top-ranking international competitions.

Objective of the study was to find a set of physiological criteria to rate the variably skilled  rhythmic gymnasts’ functionality and potential competitive success in the top-ranking international competitions, with a special emphasis on different types of autonomous nervous regulation of heart, systolic/ diastolic blood pressure and respiration rates.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was performed in the period of 2014-16 at the Physiology Department of Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and Tourism (GTSOLIFK), Sport Research Institute Laboratory and All-Russian Physical Culture Research Institute. Subject to the tests were 40 highly-skilled and elite gymnasts, each of the athletes formally rated as healthy, involved in the studies on a voluntary basis and duly informed on the tests being designed to obtain the bio-typing data related to the heart, blood pressure and respiration rates and the physiological aspects of the highly-skilled and elite gymnasts' functionality, all the tests being based on non-invasive methods totally excluding any infection in the process. The tests were performed in the morning hours of physiological sympathicotonia (prior to 1 p.m.) and designed to obtain the gymnasts’ central and autonomous nervous system performance and functionality profiling data, including the physical ability rating data.

On Day 1, the athlete’s primary data were obtained including gender, age, track record in rhythmic gymnastics, formal sport qualification, habitual training loads etc., with a special emphasis on the records of competitive accomplishments in the high-ranking international events. Furthermore, the intellectual workability of the subjects was tested using the Stage 3 URA test (by V.V. Sonkin, V.D. Sonkin, V.P. Zaytseva, 2008). On Day 2, the gymnasts were tested using the Spiroartheriocardiorhythmography Unit (with the primary test taking 5 minutes) to obtain the spirometric data with HR and blood pressure being metered using a digital tonometer. Furthermore, the gymnasts’ physical qualities were rated including the body balancing (stabilometric) tests to rate the coordination abilities of the subjects’ nervous systems (by the Targeting Test); with the body balancing ability being rated by 3 tests (both-legs-standing test, left-leg-standing test and the right-leg-standing test); plus a calliper gauge was applied to rate the body components of the subjects (E.G. Martirosov, 2006).

Study results and discussion. The subjects’ test data to profile the autonomous nervous regulation of the heart, blood pressure, respiration and functionality rates were obtained on a skill-specific basis, i.e. the test data of the 5 International Class Masters of Sport (ICMS) were analysed versus those of the 35 lower-skilled gymnasts (and not that successful in the top-ranking international events) formally qualified as Masters of Sport and Candidate Masters of Sport (MS/CMS). The ICMS test data showed the generally irregular balances of the autonomous nervous controls of the heart, blood (systolic/ diastolic) pressure and respiration rates. Most of the ICMS (3 subjects, 60%) were rated with the vagotonic type of the autonomic nervous system control of HRV; one ICMS (20%) with the normotonic type; and one more ICMS (20%) with the sympathicotonic type: see Figure 1.

Figure 1. HRV control types diagnosed in the subject International Class Masters of Sport in rhythmic gymnastics

Furthermore, we performed a statistical analysis to find the significant differences in the functionality rates of the top-ranking (ICMS) rhythmic gymnasts rated with the vagotonic type of the autonomic nervous system control of HRV (3 subjects, Group A) versus that of the lower-ranking and less successful in competitions (MS/CMS) subjects diagnosed with the same vegetative balance type (5 subjects, Group B).

The subjects’ bodily components were rated using a calliper gauge (by (E.G. Martirosov, 2006) to measure their skin-fold thickness. Skin for the measurements was clipped on the right side of the body in between the forefinger and thumb pointed 3 cm apart. Readings in every test zone were taken 3 times with 1 min time breaks, the right reading being highlighted. The skin folds were metered on the upper-hand triceps, in the low abdomen (sub-groin area) and thigh on the outside, inside and in the middle section. The skin-fold data showed significant differences in the biceps and abdomen areas. It should be noted that the fat content in Group A was found to average at 14.11% (within the norm) versus 19.31% in Group B – that is rather normal for 30-years-old women. The increased fat content may be due to the fact that most of the Group B gymnasts have retired from active sport and/or stopped the active training process due to traumas.

The comparative analysis of the blood (systolic/ diastolic) pressure and respiration rate control types for both Study Groups has found more expressed sympathetic effects of the autonomous nervous system control in the Group A (ICMS) gymnasts versus those in the Group B (MS/CMS) that may be indicative of the possible negative effects of fatigue that tend to shift the vegetative balance towards the sympathicotonic type; and these effects may be interpreted as characteristic of excessive training workloads in the Group A. Significant differences were found in the systolic pressure rhythm and respiration rates in the elite gymnasts of Group A. The significant intergroup differences were found in the following systolic pressure variation rates: TPS ms²; VLFS ms²; LFS ms²; HFS ms² ( р>0.02) .

Significant intergroup differences were also found by the analysis of the autonomous nervous system control of the respiration rates in the Group A subjects versus the Group B ones as verified by the following data: TPS ms²; HFS ms² (р <0.3008).

Furthermore, we found the coordination ability rates obtained using the body balancing tests being quite informative for the purposes of the study. The Targeting Test generated significantly different test data arrays, the procedure being designed to rate the body balancing ability using 3 tests (two-legs-standing test, left-leg-standing test and right-leg-standing test); with the left-leg-standing test found to generate significantly different data (р>0.03): see Figure 2.

Figure 2. Body balancing left-leg-standing Targeting Test data for highly-skilled and elite gymnasts, seconds

We found that it was the intellectual workability rating tests using the URA test system (by V.V. Sonkin, V.D. Sonkin, V.P. Zaytseva, 2008) that generated the most significantly different data, with the 10-letter fixed-speed test found the most informative in the test aspect. The test data and analysis showed the Group A gymnasts doing better in coping with the growing fatigue as verified by their success rates in solving the intellectually challenging tasks including the 10-letter fixed-speed test. Significant differences of the test data were fixed in the tests #2, 3 and 4 (р>0.008 and р>0.001, respectively), with the 3-letter test found to generate less different data.

Conclusion. The study found the functionality differences in the highly-skilled and elite gymnasts diagnosed with the vagotonic type of the autonomous nervous system control of HRV versus their sport qualifications and actual competitive success rates in the top-ranking international events. The top-ranking (ICSM) gymnasts were tested to be significantly different from the lower-skilled ones by mostly the ability to cope with the growing fatigue when solving intellectually challenging tasks and by the more sophisticated coordination abilities.

References

1. Berdicheskaya E.M., Gronskaya A.S., Khachaturova I.E. Spetsifika lateralnogo fenotipa v strelbe i gandbole [Specificity of lateral phenotype in shooting and handball]. Fizicheskaya kultura, sport – nauka i praktika, 2009, no. 3, pp. 27-29.
2. Botova L.N. Variabelnost ritma serdtsa u yunykh gimnastok v trenirovochnom protsesse [Heart rate variability in young female gymnasts in training process]. 2011. Internet source. (Accessed: 03.03.16)
3. Zakharyeva N.N. Kurs lektsiy po predmetu «Sportivnaya fiziologiya» [Lectures on the subject "Sport physiology"]. Moscow: Fizicheskaya kultura publ., 2012, p. 280.
4. Zakhar'eva N.N. Individualno-tipologicheskie osobennosti adaptatsionnykh izmeneniy k fizicheskim nagruzkam u yunykh sportsmenov v skorostno-silovykh vidakh legkoy atletiki [Individual-Typological Features of Adaptive Changes to Physical Loads in Junior Athletes in Speed-Power Kinds of Athletics]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2010, no. 2, pp. 25-28.
5. Zakhar'eva N.N., Mosunova J.A. Parametry spektralnykh kharakteristik respiratorno- gemodinamicheskoy sistemy u devochek-khudozhestvennykh gimnastok 7-8 let [Spectral characteristics of respiratory-hemodynamic system in female artistic gymnasts aged 7-8 years]. Sistemnye i kletochnye mekhanizmy v fiziologii dvigatelnoy sistemy i myshechnoy deyatelnosti [System and cellular mechanisms in physiology of motor system and muscle activity]. Proc. VI conf. with int. participation on physiology of muscles and muscular activity of Fundamental Medicine Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moscow, 2011, p. 114.
6. Zakharyeva N.N. Vozrastnaya fiziologiya sporta: monografiya [Developmental sport physiology]. Moscow: RSUPCSYT publ., 2016, p. 448.
7. Zakharyeva N.N., Ivanova T.S. Spetsifika pokazateley serdechnogo ritma legkoatletov s razlichnoy sportivnoy rezultativnostyu [Specifics of Cardiac Rate Indices of Athletes with Various Sports Performance]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2013, no. 2, pp 22-27.
8. Makarova G.A., Baranovskaya I.B., Bushueva T.V. Fiziologicheskie kriterii v sisteme prognozirovaniya uspeshnosti sorevnovatelnoy deyatelnosti sportsmenov v izbrannom godichnom trenirovochnom tsikle [Physiological criteria in forecasting system of athletes' success in competitive activity in selected annual training cycle]. Fizicheskaya kultura, sport – nauka i praktika, 2013, no. 3, pp. 36-40.
9. Kazakevich N.V., Pyshnaya E.V. Osobennosti nachalnogo etapa otbora v khudozhestvennoy gimnastike [Features of initial qualification stage in artistic gymnastics]. In: Proc. Intern. Conf., dedicated to the 75th anniversary of artistic gymnastics. St. Petersburg, 2010. Available at: http://textarchive.ru/c-2129003-pall.html. (Accessed: 18.04 2-16).
10. Shlyk N.I. Serdechny ritm i tip regulyatsii u detey, podrostkov i sportsmenov: monografiya [Heart rate and type of regulation in children, adolescents and athletes]. Izhevsk: Udmurt University publ., 2009, 255 p.
11. Aubert A.E., B. Seps, F. Beckers Heart Rate Variability in Athletes; Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, School of Medicine,  K.U. Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Sports Med., 2003, vol. 33 (12), pp. 889–919.
12. Blásquez J.C.C., Font G.R., Ortís L.С. Heart-rate variability and precompetitive anxiety in swimmers. Psicothema. 2009, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 531-536.
13. Pichot V., Roche F., Gaspoz J.M., et al.  Relation between heart rate variability and training load in middle-distance runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2000; 32 (10): 1729–36.

Corresponding author: zakharyeva.natalia@mail.ru

Abstract

The study considers the variably skilled rhythmic gymnasts’ functionality rating test data. The study found differences in the bio-types of the autonomous nervous regulation of heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, intellectual workability and body balancing abilities (stabilometric data); and offered a set of physiological condition rating criteria applicable for selection of elite rhythmic gymnasts potentially successful in top-ranking international events.