Differential Adaptations in Resting Heart Rate Following Moderate-Intensity Aerobic and Sport-Specific Skill Training in University Athletes

Abstract

The present study aimed to compare the differential adaptations in resting heart rate following moderate-intensity aerobic training and sport-specific skill training among university-level team sport athletes. Resting heart rate is an important physiological indicator of cardiovascular fitness, autonomic regulation, and training adaptation, and lower resting heart rates are generally associated with improved athletic performance and recovery. A randomized pre-test and post-test experimental design was employed for the study. Sixty-three male college athletes aged between 19 and 23 years, representing basketball, football, and handball, were selected using purposive random sampling. The subjects were randomly assigned into three groups: Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Training (MIAT; n = 21), Skill Training (SKT; n = 21), and Control Group (CG; n = 21). The experimental groups underwent their respective training interventions for 12 weeks, while the control group followed their regular activities without any specialized training programme. Resting heart rate was measured before and after the intervention period. The collected data were analyzed using the dependent t-test, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Scheffé's post hoc test at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed significant reductions in resting heart rate in both experimental groups. The dependent t-values of the MIAT (34.92) and SKT (13.29) groups were significantly higher than the table value (2.08). The ANCOVA results further demonstrated significant differences among the groups (F = 130.37, p < 0.05). The post hoc analysis indicated that both training methods were superior to the control group, with moderate-intensity aerobic training producing greater improvements in resting heart rate than skill training. The study concluded that moderate-intensity aerobic training is more effective than sport-specific skill training in eliciting favorable cardiovascular adaptations and reducing resting heart rate among university-level basketball, football, and handball athletes. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating aerobic conditioning programmes for enhancing cardiovascular efficiency, recovery capacity, and overall athletic performance in team sport athletes.