Kearney, M. L., Fogelman, A. E., Kuipers, N. T., & Ray, C. A. (2007). Endurance training attenuates heart rate drift when exercising at the same relative intensity. ACSM Annual Meeting New Orleans, Presentation Number, 1266.

"Cardiovascular drift is the progressive increase in heart rate (HR) and decrease in stroke volume and arterial blood pressure during prolonged exercise".

This study examined if endurance training would attenuate cardiovascular drift when exercising at the same relative work intensity. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, forearm cutaneous blood flow, oxygen uptake, tympanic temperature, and body weight were recorded in healthy, young Ss (N = 13) at rest and during 40 minutes of cycling at the same relative VO2 (50% VO2peak) before and after eight weeks of endurance training.

VO2peak increased significantly (~17%) after training. Training elicited a lower heart rate at rest and during exercise. Increase in heart rate during exercise (i.e., heart rate drift) was also significantly less after training. Training had no effect on other variables measured.

Implication. Heart rate drift diminishes after eight weeks of endurance training despite no apparent changes in cardio-vagal activity while exercising at the same relative work intensity.

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