# Rapid Weight Loss Coupled with Sport-Specific Training  
Impairs Heart Rate Recovery in Greco-Roman Wrestlers  
[PERSON]  
1 Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (V.S.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (N.M.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.M.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (T.T.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (P.D.)  
[PERSON]  
2 Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.R.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.B.)  
[PERSON]  
2 Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.R.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.B.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (V.S.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (N.M.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.M.); trivic  
The aerobic system in CS primarily contributes to the athlete's ability to sustain effort for the span of the combat and to recover during the brief periods of rest or decreased exertion [7,8]. Heart rate response during exercise and the associated physiological mechanisms involved have been extensively studied [9,10]. Certain studies imply that heart rate recovery (HRR) following exercise is a marker of training-induced alterations in autonomic control [11,12].  
A decrease in heart rate (HR) values in the first minutes of recovery following physical activity has been proposed as an inexpensive, non-invasive, valid, and simple indicator of parasympathetic activity, which is nowadays broadly used in clinical practice [13, 14, 15]. However, it is also employed in the monitoring and prescription of athletic training [16], along with cardiovascular condition assessment [17]. In addition, it is widely believed that faster HRR is related to better athletic performance [16]. Rapid recovery of HR following moderate to heavy exercise may be an important mechanism for preventing excessive cardiac work. Athletes characterized by high aerobic capacity could be better adapted to maximal control of the heart rate reserve [18]. Thus, monitoring HR in specific wrestling training sessions can provide information on setting the appropriate intensities and be very useful for creating a training program.  
Combat sports athletes commonly engage in rapid weight loss (RWL) procedures to compete in the upper spectrum of a lower weight category and likely gain a competitive edge over their rivals [19]. Typically, RWL is defined as a reduction of 5% of body weight less than one week before the competition [20,21]. Rapid weight loss methods are largely similar between combat sports and commonly include reduced fluid and food intake, heated training, rubber suits, sauna use, increased physical activity, etc. The interactive effect of food restriction and fluid deprivation might provoke adverse physiological effects on the body, leaving the athlete potentially unprepared for competition [22]. Additionally, there is evidence that RWL of 5% combined with strenuous exercise before competition causes a significant degree of muscle damage in CS athletes, thus making the competitive performance fairly questionable [23]. Since CS athletes usually have to achieve their target weight in a relatively short period, they usually have to go through strenuous training along with other RWL procedures. In this way, such training could stimulate increased sweating and thus facilitate weight loss. This crossover study deals with monitoring the HRR in a group of Greco-Roman wrestlers during high-intensity sport-specific training on two different occasions.  
The objective of the study was to establish whether strenuous HISST along with RWL procedures affect the aerobic capacity in terms of HRR differently than HISST alone.