Abstract

Biathlon is an Olympic winter sport combining the endurance sport of cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting. Here, the need to prepare the body for upcoming events is particularly evident. As a high heart rate can be detrimental to shooting performance, it might be beneficial for biathletes to decrease their heart rate when approaching the shooting range, whereas heart rate should ideally be increased at the start and when facing an uphill section to cater for physiological demands. Ten national-level, junior male biathletes skied 6–8 laps in a standardized 2 km biathlon course with competition intensity, where each lap was followed by 5 shots in the standing position. Electrocardiography was continuously measured, and changes in heart rate during the 30 s leading up to the start, the uphill section, and the shooting event were analyzed. Instantaneous heart rate (IHR) increased significantly before the start and before the beginning of the uphill, whereas IHR decreased significantly before arriving at the shooting range. These findings provide evidence that biathletes anticipate forthcoming events by prospectively adjusting their heart rate upwards and downwards depending on task demands. Being able to use perceptual predictive information to optimally prepare the body for challenges that lie ahead, may have implications for expert performance in several different sports, as well as in other fields where purposeful regulation of heart rate is important for success.

摘要

冬季两项是一项奥林匹克冬季运动，将越野滑雪的耐力运动与精确的步枪射击相结合。在这里，为即将发生的事件做好准备身体的需求尤为明显。由于高心率可能会对射击性能造成不利影响，当运动员接近射击范围时，降低其心率可能是有益的，而理想情况下，一开始和面对上坡路段时应提高心率以满足生理需求。十个国家级的初中男运动员在标准的2 km冬季两项比赛中以竞争强度滑雪6到8圈，每圈紧接着站5杆。连续测量心电图，并在开始前30 s，上坡部分，并分析了射击事件。在上坡开始之前和开始之前，瞬时心率（IHR）显着增加，而到达射击范围之前，IHR显着下降。这些发现提供了证据，证明运动员通过根据任务需求向上或向下调整心率来预测即将发生的事件。能够使用感知性预测信息为身体最佳地应对即将到来的挑战做好准备，这可能对专家在几种不同运动中以及在有目的地调节心率对成功至关重要的领域中的表现有影响。而《国际卫生条例》在到达射击场之前明显下降。这些发现提供了证据，证明运动员通过根据任务需求向上或向下调整心率来预测即将发生的事件。能够使用感知性预测信息为身体最佳地应对即将到来的挑战做好准备，这可能对专家在几种不同运动中以及在有目的地调节心率对成功至关重要的领域中的表现有影响。而《国际卫生条例》在到达射击场之前明显下降。这些发现提供了证据，证明运动员通过根据任务需求向上或向下调整心率来预测即将发生的事件。能够使用感知性预测信息为身体最佳地应对即将到来的挑战做好准备，这可能对专家在几种不同运动中以及在有目的地调节心率对成功至关重要的领域中的表现有影响。