Authors:
Jasper Gielen
1
;
Elise Mehuys
1
;
Kris Eyckmans
2
and
Jean-Marie Aerts
1
Affiliations:
1
M3-BIORES, Division Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
;
2
TopVolleyBelgium, Beneluxlaan 22, 1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium
Keyword(s):
Volleyball, Heart Rate, Activity, Competition, Wearables, Physiological Monitoring.
Abstract:
Volleyball is characterised by intervals of high-intensity gameplay mixed with periods of relative rest. Monitoring the athletes’ physiology during competition allows us to study the changes in exercise intensity throughout a game. In this study, eight elite male volleyball athletes measured their heart rate and activity during multiple games of the regular season in the Belgian Liga A and B using wearable technology. The data show a significant decrease in the heart rate for set 1 to 4, from 79.1 %HRmax to 73.9 %HRmax. For activity, a decreasing trend is visually observed, but the difference is only significant for set 1 compared to the other sets. Finally, the performance did not vary significantly over the course of the different sets.