Immediate Effect of Single Bout of Karate Exercise on Heart Rate

Background: Physical activity of moderate intensity when incorporated in the daily routine provides a holistic development of the body and improves the overall health status. Heart rate acts as a marker of cardiac modulation by the sympathetic and vagal components of the autonomic nervous system. The immediate changes in terms of rise and recovery of heart rate levels after performing a bout of karate exercise may indicate the status of cardiovascular fitness levels of a physically active individual. The purpose of this study was to observe the immediate effect of a schedule karate regimen as a moderate exercise intervention on heart rate. Method: To fulfill the purpose of the study fifteen physically active male adults pursuing the Bachelor of Physical Education course were considered as subjects of the study. Purposive sampling method was used for collection of data. They were provided a continuous karate training protocol of ten minutes bout and their heart rate was recorded in three time intervals: pre intervention for ten minutes, during exercise and post recovery up to ten minutes. Holter test was used for measuring continuous heart rate. Results and Findings: The mean resting heart rate was recorded as 55.73 ± 5.17 beats/min, which with single karate bout went up to 144.20 ± 9.16 beats/min and again recovered in the 10^th minute to 69.33 ± 5.96 beats/min. Repeated measure of ANOVA indicated that there was a significant difference in resting, exercise and recovery heart rates. Conclusion: It can thus be interpreted that the karate training protocol shows significant change of heart rate among pre, during and post exercise period.