Heart Rate Differences Between Physically Trained Vs Untrained Collegiate Rifle Athletes During Competitive Shooting.

INTRODUCTION: Endurance athletes often have lower resting heart rates than others, due to aerobic exercise training strengthening the heart, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently which results in a lower resting heart rate (RHR). As a person exercises and becomes more aerobically fit, their RHR will likely decrease. (Yockey, 2023). Heart rate (HR) is often used as a key indicator of an athlete’s physical fitness level in the realm of endurance sports however, there is a scarceness of research that exists on examining how heart rate (HR) may affect the athlete’s shooting performance during the sport of competitive rifle. PURPOSE: Examine differences in heart rate response of physically trained (NCAA) vs untrained (CLUB) competitive collegiate athletes participating in the sport of Competitive Rifle. METHODS: Upon IRB approval, athletes (NCAA: N = 6; CLUB: N = 7) were asked to wear a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) while shooting in practice, competitions, and practice competitions. During active shooting, HR was recorded every 5 minutes utilizing the HRM. Each athlete completed a series of questions that allowed for a self-report of physical training between NCAA and CLUB athletes. T-tests were used for comparison between the groups. Significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the measures between the groups. RHR between groups (NCAA mean HR 75 bpm vs CLUB mean HR 87 bpm (p = 0.06)). During active shooting (NCAA mean HR 95 bpm vs CLUB mean HR 89 bpm (p = 0.06)). Final HR (NCAA mean HR 86 bpm vs CLUB mean HR 82 bpm (p = 0.052)). The lower RHR of the NCAA team may indicate higher cardiorespiratory fitness responses due to the structured nature of the training program that is followed by these athletes. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, fitness training did not influence HR response during various shooting conditions in competitive rifle athletes. Other factors, such as autonomic control and stress coping mechanisms, may also have an effect on the HR response.