Table of Contents

Introduction......1

Review of Literature..........................3

Problem Statement...........7

Experimental Design....8

Data and Observations...11

Data Analysis and Interpretation.......20

Conclusion.........30

Acknowledgements........35

Appendix A....36

Appendix B........38

Works Cited.......39
 Eskuri - Rupert 1

Introduction

Many people have ever watched or participated in a sport that requires

participation in multiple events that are close together in time. Some sports that relate to

time constraints are swimming and track where athletes may have to participate in events

directly after one another with little to no rest in between. This is similar to taking a hard

run around a neighborhood, stopping for a moment at an intersection to let a car pass, and

then continuing the hard run. During that second part of the run, the runner will be more

fatigued than when he or she first started running due to an increase in activity and heart

rate.

The heart can recover faster when the body is resting in certain positions, which

decreases the fatigue during the second half. Some coaches and trainers suggest that the

optimal heart rate recovery, or HRR, position is setting the hands on top of the head. The

respiratory system opens larger and allows for air to pass through. Consequently, there

are other positions that can be used to recover. There are studies of supine recovery,

sitting recovery, and upright recovery. A few positions within those broad categories have

been tested as well.. The purpose of this experiment was to expand the knowledge of

sitting positions and determine which one would give the quickest HRR after an activity.

The three sitting positions tested were sitting slouched over, sitting upright, and sitting

with the hands on top of the head, the suggested position.

Endurance activities allow for more consistent heart rates from person to person

while the activity is being done. Cross country and swim athletics are endurance sports,

however, in order to check HRR, heart rate monitors were necessary to provide an

accurate measurement so swimmers could not be used. Cross country athletes provided a
 Eskuri - Rupert 2

stable heart rate that worked with the heart rate monitors. A stable heart rate made it

possible to determine the recovery differences between the sitting positions. In order to

test the effects that sitting position had on heart rate recovery of the athletes, each

participant ran a set distance between each trial and sat in all three positions, allowing for

recovery.

Athletes, coaches, and trainers can benefit from this experiment because it gave

insight on the importance of HRR and found an efficient sitting position to recover in.

This will allow the athletes to recover faster between events making them less fatigued in

later events. This enables them to perform better in those later events as well, boosting up

not only them, but their teams.

 Eskuri - Rupert 3

Review of Literature

When athletes finish participating in their sport, like when a runner finishes a

race, or when a basketball player is benched after playing, their bodies need to recover.

Different athletes recover in different positions. Some of them sit straight on a chair,

others stand with their hands on their heads, yet others simply collapse to the ground.

Some of these positions may be better than others and give the athletes an advantage by

allowing them to recover faster. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the best

sitting position for the heart rate recovery, HRR, of athletes.

When people do vigorous physical activity, their muscles require a lot of energy.

Most of this energy is gained through aerobic metabolism which is the creation of energy

through the combustion of carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats in the presence of oxygen

(Bumgardner). Since the bloodstream is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout

the body, including to the muscles, the heart needs to pump more blood when the muscles

are working. To do this the heart beats faster, increasing heart rate, HR, which is the

number of times the heart beats in a minute (New). The increase in heart rate is also said

to be due to the increase in parasympathetic withdrawal and sympathetic activation, while

the decrease in heart rate immediately after exercise is due to the reactivation of the

parasympathetic nervous system (Cole).

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the rest and digest

responses of the body that happen in non-stressful situations. During this time the

nervous system saves energy and digestion starts. This is also when blood pressure can

decrease and pulse rate can slow (Chudler).

 Eskuri - Rupert 4

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight or flight responses

of the body that happen in stressful situations. During this time the body uses energy and

digestion either slows down or completely shuts down. This is also when blood pressure

increases and the heart beats faster (Chudler).

As stated before, during times of increased physical activity, the sympathetic

nervous system is activated and uses energy to speed the heart rate. After the physical

activity is over, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over to slow the heart rate

down (Heart). The underlying process of parasympathetic withdrawal and sympathetic

activation is not known.

Heart rate monitors, HRMs, are an important tool in measuring how the nervous

system is being affected. Athletes use HRMs to find the difference between their resting

heart rate and training heart rate to stay at a steady pace within their range. Their

maximum heart rate during exercise is about 70% of what their true maximum heart rate

shows. That means an athlete is not exerting as much energy, opposed to a person who is

not as athletic that could show a higher heart rate (Tworek). There is an equation to find

the estimated maximum heart rate for a person, which is:

220 Age=Maximum Heart Rate

In this equation, Age is represented as the age of the person finding their estimated

maximum heart rate. A maximum heart rate is the highest amount of beats that a persons

heart has potential to attain (Tomek). Finding the maximum heart rate is important

because it gives an idea for what to expect as a peak heart rate for a training session.

Moreover, finding an expeditious way to recover from an endurance training

session is beneficial to an athlete. The faculty of Western Washington University tested

The Effects of Two Different Recovery Postures During High Intensity Interval
 Eskuri - Rupert 5

Training, which tests the sitting position with the subjects hands on his or her head or

sitting in the normal upright position. This was tested by having a subject run in intervals

of 4 minutes allowing 3 minutes of recovery time between each running interval. The

thesis tested the VCO2, or the volume of carbon dioxide, which could be interchanged

with heart rate recovery in different outcomes. The research done by the faculty of

Western Washington University is similar to this research because both test the effects of

different sitting positions on the recovery of athletes. Both of these professional research

experiments test whether there is a difference between athletes sitting with their hands on

their head and in the normal upright position although the methods used to do this were

different. This research use heart rate while the research done by the faculty of Western

Washington University used VCO2 to determine the effects. Their research concluded

that the hands on knees position gave the fastest recovery rate opposed to the hands on

head position. A possible explanation for this is the fact that the hands on knees position

is reported to increase the zone of apposition of the diaphragm (Houplin). The zone of

apposition of the diaphragm is affected by the orientation of the rib cage. As it increases

so does the volume of air being drawn into the lungs (Thoracic). Sitting position can

affect the HRR of a person due to changes in their respiratory system and how their

posture can limit or assist the respiratory system.

Overall, heart rate recovery is affected by many variables, including the

respiratory system and sitting position. If the recovery of an athlete is accelerated

compared to other athletes, that athlete would have an advantage since their body

recovered faster than his or her competitors. The variability could affect heart rates,
 Eskuri - Rupert 6

however, it will still give insight on what will benefit the athletes recovery during their

performance.
 Eskuri - Rupert 7

Problem Statement

Problem:

To determine the effect of sitting position on heart rate recovery (HRR) of cross

country athletes.

Hypothesis:

The sitting position of sitting upright with the hands on the head will find the

fastest return to a normal heart rate recovery on cross country athletes.

Data Measured:

In this experiment, the three sitting positions of hands on head, sitting upright, and

elbows on knees were used to determine the highest heart rate recovery. The dependent

variable was the heart rate recovery, and the independent variable was the sitting

positions. The participant ran around the standard high school track for eight hundred

meters, or for half of a mile, and sat in one of the randomized positions for one minute.

Then the runner had five minutes to recover in the position they chose, and ran another

eight hundred meters to sit in a different position. This process was repeated again so that

each participant sat in all three positions.

In order to determine the heart rate recovery, the difference between the heart rate

directly after the athlete ran and the heart rate one minute after resting in the position was

found. There were seventy five trials completed and three two-sample t tests were

calculated to determine if the results were statistically significant.

 Eskuri - Rupert 8

Experimental Design

Materials:

Wahoo TICKR chest strap heart monitor (4) Watch

Wahoo Fitness app TI-nspire calculator
Bench for sitting Phone with Bluetooth
Alcohol wipes (75) Participants (75)

Procedures:

Preparation:

1. Download the Wahoo Fitness app onto the phone that will be used by
going to the app store and selecting install.

2. Open the Wahoo Fitness application on the phone being used.

3. Pair the Wahoo TICKR device to the app with Bluetooth by putting the
monitor on, selecting saved devices then selecting device discovery.

4. Randomize the order of the sitting positions (participant with their arms on
the inside of their knees and their back arched, with their hands on their thighs and
their back straight, or with their hands on their head and a straight back)

5. Have a participant put the chest strap on with the monitor in the center of
their ribcage.

6. Explain to the participant what sitting position they will be in after their
run

7. Set a one-minute timer.

The Test:

8. Mark a distance of 800 meters on a track for the participant to travel.

9. Select Start on the Wahoo Fitness application, and have the participant
run around the track with the phone in hand and the monitor on.

10. Once the participant gets back, immediately record the heart rate and have
him/her sit on the bench in the specific position and start the previously set timer.

11. Record heart rate when the timer goes off in Table 1 below.

12. Allow participant to rest in any position for 5 minutes so that they fully
recover from their run, and calculate heart rate recovery (HRR) by subtracting the
 Eskuri - Rupert 9

heart rate after rest from the heart rate immediately after exercise then record that in
the table below.

13. Repeat steps 5-12 with all sitting positions.

14. Repeat steps 4-13 with all participants, cleaning the chest strap with an
alcohol wipe between each runner.

Diagram:

Figure 1. Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitor

Figure 1 shows an example of a man wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor. The

chest strap is tightened to fit snugly and the monitor is placed in the middle of the rib

cage.

Figure 2. Sitting Positions

Figure 2 shows examples of a participant sitting in all of the positions with one of

the heart rate monitors on. Going from left to right, the first image shows the slouching

position where the forearms are resting on the participants thighs. The second image
 Eskuri - Rupert 10

shows the upright position where the hands are resting on the participants thighs and the

back is straight. The third image shows the hands on head position where the hands are

on the participants head and the back is straight.

 Eskuri - Rupert 11

Data and Observations

Table 1
Data From Trials
Sitting Positions (Heart Rate Recovery)
Hands Between Knees Straight Position Hands On Head

Trial After After Recovery After After Recovery After After Recovery
Exercise Rest (BPM - Exercise Rest (BPM - Exercise Rest (BPM -
(BPM) (BPM) BPM) (BPM) (BPM) BPM) (BPM) (BPM) BPM)
1 185.0 131.0 54.00 180.0 132.0 48.00 178.0 122.0 56.00
2 187.0 98.00 89.00 182.0 122.0 60.00 180.0 120.0 60.00
3 192.0 132.0 60.00 192.0 144.0 48.00 190.0 148.0 42.00
4 190.0 141.0 49.00 181.0 133.0 48.00 189.0 142.0 47.00
5 178.0 110.0 68.00 176.0 115.0 61.00 175.0 120.0 55.00
6 176.0 114.0 62.00 178.0 136.0 42.00 178.0 139.0 39.00
7 186.0 119.0 67.00 182.0 129.0 53.00 182.0 133.0 49.00
8 173.0 111.0 62.00 175.0 97.00 78.00 179.0 122.0 57.00
9 170.0 110.0 60.00 164.0 107.0 57.00 156.0 119.0 37.00
10 171.0 124.0 47.00 170.0 108.0 62.00 168.0 118.0 50.00
11 187.0 149.0 38.00 191.0 144.0 47.00 193.0 140.0 53.00
12 191.0 150.0 41.00 168.0 120.0 48.00 193.0 133.0 60.00
13 170.0 127.0 43.00 175.0 125.0 50.00 170.0 131.0 39.00
14 183.0 121.0 62.00 183.0 128.0 55.00 171.0 128.0 43.00
15 163.0 129.0 34.00 167.0 135.0 32.00 169.0 136.0 33.00
16 181.0 117.0 64.00 186.0 129.0 57.00 185.0 138.0 47.00
17 174.0 109.0 65.00 179.0 118.0 61.00 176.0 116.0 60.00
18 167.0 93.00 74.00 192.0 143.0 49.00 170.0 117.0 53.00
19 187.0 125.0 62.00 188.0 130.0 58.00 189.0 133.0 56.00
20 173.0 132.0 41.00 176.0 137.0 39.00 175.0 135.0 40.00
21 177.0 123.0 54.00 184.0 137.0 47.00 184.0 136.0 48.00
22 199.0 146.0 53.00 191.0 144.0 47.00 195.0 156.0 39.00
23 177.0 98.00 79.00 169.0 100.0 69.00 176.0 119.0 57.00
Trial Hands Between Knees Straight Position Hands On Head
After After Recovery After After Recovery After After Recovery
 Eskuri - Rupert 12

Exercise Rest Exercise Rest Exercise Rest

(BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM)
24 181.0 114.0 67.00 182.0 131.0 51.00 184.0 133.0 51.00
25 180.0 121.0 59.00 177.0 122.0 55.00 166.0 122.0 44.00
26 163.0 128.0 35.00 188.0 135.0 53.00 180.0 137.0 43.00
27 177.0 122.0 55.00 180.0 120.0 60.00 177.0 125.0 52.00
28 200.0 159.0 41.00 171.0 130.0 41.00 199.0 135.0 64.00
29 186.0 141.0 45.00 191.0 138.0 53.00 187.0 140.0 47.00
30 187.0 119.0 68.00 197.0 122.0 75.00 191.0 140.0 51.00
31 133.0 108.0 25.00 178.0 118.0 60.00 171.0 130.0 41.00
32 164.0 109.0 55.00 163.0 113.0 50.00 180.0 144.0 36.00
33 159.0 101.0 58.00 151.0 101.0 50.00 158.0 100.0 58.00
34 182.0 100.0 82.00 170.0 125.0 45.00 185.0 132.0 53.00
35 182.0 124.0 58.00 179.0 123.0 56.00 180.0 134.0 46.00
36 171.0 103.0 68.00 170.0 131.0 39.00 162.0 103.0 59.00
37 175.0 121.0 54.00 183.0 137.0 46.00 172.0 132.0 40.00
38 168.0 118.0 50.00 173.0 131.0 42.00 164.0 145.0 19.00
39 192.0 138.0 54.00 191.0 142.0 49.00 194.0 125.0 69.00
40 184.0 137.0 47.00 187.0 138.0 49.00 185.0 140.0 45.00
41 177.0 120.0 57.00 180.0 117.0 63.00 178.0 119.0 59.00
42 197.0 135.0 62.00 190.0 134.0 56.00 193.0 138.0 55.00
43 180.0 103.0 77.00 184.0 114.0 70.00 161.0 125.0 36.00
44 170.0 131.0 39.00 198.0 135.0 63.00 185.0 132.0 53.00
45 185.0 123.0 62.00 194.0 136.0 58.00 191.0 121.0 70.00
46 194.0 100.0 94.00 193.0 117.0 76.00 191.0 112.0 79.00
47 173.0 122.0 51.00 171.0 122.0 49.00 170.0 115.0 55.00
48 199.0 139.0 60.00 195.0 140.0 55.00 196.0 160.0 36.00
49 191.0 130.0 61.00 194.0 150.0 44.00 192.0 149.0 43.00
Hands Between Knees Straight Position Hands On Head
After After After After After After
Exercise Rest Recovery Exercise Rest Recovery Exercise Rest Recovery
Trial (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM) (BPM)
50 186.0 108.0 78.00 185.0 132.0 53.00 188.0 118.0 70.00
51 170.0 84.0 86.00 170.0 98.00 72.00 171.0 104.0 67.00
52 186.0 120.0 66.00 185.0 127.0 58.00 182.0 116.0 66.00
 Eskuri - Rupert 13

53 180.0 125.0 55.00 182.0 118.0 64.00 170.0 152.0 20.00

54 167.0 1030 64.00 166.0 102.0 64.00 170.0 110.0 60.00
55 194.0 131.0 63.00 196.0 137.0 59.00 193.0 131.0 62.00
56 160.0 124.0 36.00 159.0 130.0 29.00 166.0 130.0 36.00
57 180.0 137.0 43.00 179.0 140.0 39.00 183.0 152.0 31.00
58 194.0 111.0 83.00 190.0 120.0 70.00 195.0 149.0 46.00
59 193.0 113.0 80.00 195.0 120.0 75.00 190.0 122.0 73.00
60 188.0 122.0 66.00 190.0 120.0 70.00 189.0 121.0 68.00
61 177.0 133.0 44.00 176.0 136.0 40.00 180.0 136.0 44.00
62 183.0 125.0 58.00 185..0 128.0 57.00 182.0 130.0 52.00
63 176.0 134.0 42.00 175.0 131.0 44.00 178.0 130.0 48.00
64 187.0 123.0 64.00 189.0 128.0 61.00 187.0 130.0 57.00
65 190.0 133.0 57.00 185.0 133.0 52.00 188.0 136.0 52.00
66 181.0 119.0 62.00 184.0 120.0 64.00 180.0 123.0 57.00
67 179.0 135.0 44.00 177.0 133.0 44.00 176.0 138.0 38.00
68 169.0 111.0 58.00 168.0 109.0 59.00 168.0 120.0 48.00
69 193.0 124.0 69.00 194.0 130.0 64.00 191.0 137.0 54.00
70 178.0 140.0 38.00 179.0 138.0 41.00 180.0 145.0 35.00
71 167.0 112.0 55.00 170.0 120.0 50.00 169.0 128.0 41.00
72 185.0 134.0 51.00 182.0 127.0 55.00 187.0 140.0 47.00
73 169.0 123.0 46.00 172.0 132.0 40.00 167.0 129.0 38.00
74 175.0 123.0 52.00 176.0 126.0 50.00 171.0 130.0 41.00
75 183.0 134.0 49.00 183.0 128.0 55.00 187.0 139.0 48.00
Table 2 on the previous pages shows the raw data of the experiment which was

measured in beats per-minute, or BPM. The first column shows the data for the hands

between knees position, the second column shows the data for the upright position, and

the third column shows the data for the hands on head position. The sub-columns for each

position show the heart rate directly after exercising, the heart rate after sitting in a

specific position for a minute, and the recovery that happened during that one minute

which was calculated by taking the difference between these two rates.

Table 2
 Eskuri - Rupert 14

Averages in BPM (Beats Per Minute)

Hands Between Knees Straight Position Hands On Head
57.61 54.04 49.64

Table 2 shows the averages for each sitting position found from the data in Table

1 which was done by adding all of the HRRs for each position then dividing that sum by

seventy five which was the total number of trials.

Table 3
Observations
Observations
Trial Order Abnormalities
1 Hands up, straight, slouching Monitor fell off, had to reattach
2 Slouching, hands up, straight None
3 Straight, slouching, hands up None
4 Slouching, straight, hands up Monitor fell off, had to reattach and restart
5 Hands up, slouching, straight Timing was slightly off
6 Slouching, straight, hands up None
7 Straight, hands up, slouching None
8 Straight, slouching, hands up None
9 Straight, slouching, hands up Large drop in heart rate during straight position
Trial Order Abnormalities
10 Hands up, straight, slouching Inconsistent first heart rate
11 Hands up, straight, slouching None
12 Slouching, straight, hands up None
13 Hands up, straight, slouching None
14 Hands up, straight, slouching None
15 Straight, slouching, hands up None
16 Slouching, hands up, straight None
17 Hands up, slouching, straight None
18 Straight, hands up, slouching Had to reattach the monitor
19 Straight, slouching, hands up None
20 Slouching, hands up, straight None
21 Slouching, hands up, straight None
22 Straight, slouching, hands up None
 Eskuri - Rupert 15

23 Straight, slouching, hands up None

24 Hands up, straight, slouching Monitor fell off, had to reattach
25 Hands up, straight, slouching None
26 Hands up, slouching, straight Monitor fell off, had to reattach
27 Hands up, slouching, straight None
28 Straight, hands up, slouching Monitor fell off, had to reattach
29 Straight, hands up, slouching None
30 Slouching, straight, hands up None
31 Slouching, straight, hands up Slight monitor malfunction
32 Hands up, slouching, straight None
33 Straight, hands up, slouching None
34 Straight, hands up, slouching None
35 Straight, hands up, slouching None
36 Hands up, slouching, straight None
37 Hands up, slouching, straight None
Trial Order Abnormalities
38 Hands up, slouching, straight None
39 Slouching, straight, hands up Extremely cold
40 Slouching, straight, hands up Extremely cold
41 Slouching, straight, hands up Extremely cold
42 Slouching, straight, hands up Extremely cold
43 Hands up, slouching, straight Extremely cold
44 Straight, slouching, hands up Extremely cold
45 Hands up, straight, slouching Extremely cold
46 Straight, slouching, hands up Extremely cold
47 Hands up, straight slouching None
48 Straight, hands up, slouching None
49 Straight, hands up, slouching None
50 Hands up, slouching, straight None
51 Hands up, slouching, straight None
52 Slouching, straight, hands up None
53 Slouching, straight, hands up None
54 Slouching, straight, hands up None
55 Straight, slouching, hands up None
56 Straight, slouching, hands up None
 Eskuri - Rupert 16

57 Slouching, hands up, straight None

58 Slouching, hands up, straight None
59 Hands up, straight, slouching None
60 Hands up, straight, slouching None
61 Slouching, straight, hands up None
62 Slouching, straight, hands up None
63 Slouching, straight, hands up Monitor fell off, had to reattach
64 Slouching, straight, hands up None
65 Straight, slouching, hands up None
Trial Order Abnormalities
66 Straight, slouching, hands up None
67 Hands up, straight, slouching Monitor fell off, had to reattach
68 Hands up, straight, slouching Monitor fell off, had to reattach
69 Hands up, slouching, straight Monitor fell off, had to reattach
70 Hands up, slouching, straight None
71 Hands up, slouching, straight None
72 Hands up, slouching, straight None
73 Slouching, hands up, straight None
74 Slouching, hands up, straight None
75 Slouching, straight, hands up None

Table 3 represents the observations that were made during the trial. These

observations include the order of the sitting positions for each participant, and any

abnormalities such as extreme weather and problems with the monitors.

Table 4
Position order percentages
Position (BPM)
Order
Slouching (percent) Straight (percent) Hands on Head (percent)

First 33 31 36

Second 37 39 24

Third 29 31 40
 Eskuri - Rupert 17

Table 4 shows the percentage of times that the positions came either first second

or third. Although the order was randomized with the random integer function of a TI-

Nspire CX calculator, the percentage of times a position came first, second, or third were

not equal with one another.

Figure 3. Hands on Head Sitting Position

Figure 3 shows a participant sitting in one of the positions with a heart rate

monitor on after his first run. This image shows the hands on head position where the

hands are on the participants head and the back is straight.

Figure 4. Slouching Position

 Eskuri - Rupert 18

Figure 4 shows the same participant sitting in a different position with a heart rate

monitor on after his second run. In this image the participant is sitting in the slouching

position with his forearms resting on his knees.

Figure 5. Upright Position

Figure 5 shows the same participant sitting in another position with the same heart

rate monitor on after his final run. This position consists of the participant sitting upright

with his back straight.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Data was collected by putting a chest strap heart rate monitor on male volunteers

from cross country teams and having them run at their normal five kilometer, or 5K, pace

for eight hundred meters. Directly after finishing, their heart rate, HR, in beats per

minute, BPM, would be taken and they would sit in a designated position, slouching with

their forearms on their thighs, sitting up straight, and sitting up straight with their hands

on their heads, for a minute. After that minute their HR would be taken again and their

heart rate recovery, HRR, would be calculated while the participant took an additional

five minutes of rest before running again. The HRR was calculated by finding the
 Eskuri - Rupert 19

difference between their HRs before and after the one minute resting period. Each

participant ran eight hundred meters three times and recovered in each position in order

to reduce variability and eliminate lurking variables in the data such as weather and the

physical conditions of each athlete. This way each participant served as their own control.

Each participant was counted as one trial and exactly seventy five trials were

conducted throughout the experiment. The data was collected through a simple random

sample due to the fact that the invited teams were chosen randomly and not all of the

invited teams participated. To reduce bias, the trials were randomized in two ways: the

order the participants were tested was randomized, and the order of the sitting positions

for each group of either two of four participants were randomized. The randomization of

the participants was done by the coaches and participants, while the randomization of the

sitting positions was done by assigning each position a number then using the random

integer function on the TI-Nspire CX calculator, which is shown in Appendix B. Each

group of participants was randomized to keep participant confusion level low and for

efficiency. Slouching was assigned the number one, sitting upright was assigned two, and

sitting upright with their hands on their head was assigned three. The order these numbers

appeared determined the order of the sitting positions for that specific participant.
 Eskuri - Rupert 20

Figure 6. Boxplot for Slouching

Figure 6 shows the boxplot for the HRR when the participants were slouching.

The plot shows that the data is fairly normal although there is a slight left skew and one

slight outlier. The data was still considered normal despite the close outlier. The mean of

57.61 and median of 58 are close to one another, also indicating that the data is normally

distributed.
 Eskuri - Rupert 21

Figure 7. Boxplot for Straight

Figure 7 shows the boxplot for the HRR when the participants had their hands on

their heads. The plot shows that the data was fairly normal although there was a slight

skew. The mean of 54.04 and median of 53 are close to one another, also indicating that

the data is normally distributed.

Figure 8. Boxplot for Hands on Head

Figure 8 shows the boxplot for the HRR when the participants had their hands on

their heads. The plot shows that the data is normally distributed with the four quadrants

being fairly equal in measure and with no outliers. The mean of 49.89 and median of 49

are close to one another, also indicating that the data is normally distributed.
 Eskuri - Rupert 22

Figure 9. Boxplots

Figure 9 shows the three box plots on the same axis. The order corresponds to the

other plots so from top to bottom they are slouching, upright, and hands on head. Even

though the quadrants overlap, the box plots show that there were differences between the

three positions because the means and medians do not overlap and are relatively far apart.

It can be seen that the slouching position has higher HRRs, the upright position is in the

middle, and the hands on top of the head position has lower HRRs.

A series of Two -Sample t Tests were performed on the data to determine if the

differences in the data were statistically significant. This test is used to determine if two

population means are the same. The populations in this experiment were the hands

between knees position, the upright position, and the hands on head position. The tests

were used to determine which sitting position had the highest recovery rate for the

athletes.
 Eskuri - Rupert 23

In order to perform two-sample t tests, certain assumptions must be met. The first

is that the data must be taken from random samples and or must be randomized and, as

stated above, both of these conditions were met. The second assumption is that the

population distributions are normal and or are from large samples. As stated before there

were seventy five trials which means that by the central limit theorem the data is normal.

The boxplots also show that the data is normal as stated above. The third assumption is

that all samples taken were independent of each other and had no effect on one another

which is true because each trial was for a different person.

The test uses two hypotheses to talk about the results of the test. The first is the

null hypothesis, which is the same for every two-sample t tests. The second is the

alternative hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis is the hypothesis the researchers, or

people performing the test, believe the results are going to show.

H 0 : SLO = STR

Figure 10. First Null Hypothesis

Figure 10 shows the null hypothesis, H 0 , for the first t-test which compares the

slouching position and the straight position. Here, SLO represents the mean of the first

variable, the slouching sitting position. STR represents the mean of the second

variable, the upright sitting position. The null hypothesis states that the mean values of

these two sitting positions are equal.

H a : SLO STR

Figure 11. First Alternate hypothesis

Figure 11 shows the alternate hypothesis, H a . In this, SLO represents the

mean of the slouching sitting position, and STR represents the mean of the upright
 Eskuri - Rupert 24

sitting position. This alternate hypothesis states that the hands between knees average

recovery position is not equal to the upright position.

Figure 12. Slouching vs. Straight Density Curve and Test

The test was performed and the t-value found was 1.7924 which equals the p-

value of 0.075 as shown by figure 7 above. There is a 7.5% chance of getting this

difference in HRR by chance alone if there is no difference. Since this is likely to happen,

and it is greater than the alpha level of 0.05, the null could not be rejected. From this it
 Eskuri - Rupert 25

can be concluded that the difference between the slouching position and upright position

was not statistically significant.

A 95% confidence t-interval was then conducted on the data and from it, it can be

concluded with 95% confidence the difference in mean HRRs between the slouching

position and the straight position was within the interval of -0.3687 and 7.5141, which

captures the true population mean values of SLO which represents the mean of the

slouching sitting position, and STR which represents the mean of the straight sitting

position. Because this interval contains zero, it further suggests that there was no

statistically significant difference between the slouching position and the straight

position.

H 0 : SLO = HOH

Figure 13. Second Null Hypothesis

Figure 13 shows the null hypothesis for the second t-test which compares the

slouching position and the hands on head position. Here, SLO represents the mean of

the first variable, the slouching sitting position, and HOH represents the mean of the

second variable, the hands on head sitting position. The null hypothesis states that the

mean values of these two sitting positions are equal.

H a : SLO HOH

Figure 14. Second Alternate Hypothesis

Figure 14 shows the alternate hypothesis for the second t-test. Again, SLO

represents the mean of the first variable, the slouching sitting position, and HOH

represents the mean of the second variable, the hands on head sitting position. The

alternate hypothesis states that the means are not equal.

 Eskuri - Rupert 26

Figure 15. Slouching vs. Hands on Head Test and Density Curve

As shown by the bell curve in figure 15 above, the t-value was found to be 3.8353

which equates to the p-value of 0.0002. There is a 0.02% chance of getting the difference

in HRR that we did by chance alone if there is no difference. Since this is less than the

alpha level of 0.05, the null hypothesis was rejected. From this it can be concluded that

the difference between the slouching position and hands on head position was statistically

significant.
 Eskuri - Rupert 27

A 95% confidence t-interval was then conducted on the data. From it, it can be

concluded with 95% confidence the difference in mean HRRs between the slouching

position and the hands on head position was within the interval of 3.6444 and 11.8043.

This captures the true population mean values of SLO which represents the mean of

the slouching sitting position, and HOH which represents the mean of the hands on

head sitting position. This suggests that the slouching position had higher HRRs than the

hands on head position since the interval was greater than zero.

H 0 : STR = HOH

Figure 16. Third Null Hypothesis

Figure 16 shows the null hypothesis for the third t-test which compares the

upright position and the hands on head position. Here, STR represents the mean of the

first variable, the upright sitting position, and HOH represents the mean of the second

variable, the hands on head sitting position. The null hypothesis states that the mean

values of these two sitting positions are equal.

H a : STR HOH

Figure 17. Third Alternate Hypothesis

Figure 17 shows the alternate hypothesis for the third t-test. Again, STR

represents the mean of the first variable, the upright sitting position, and HOH

represents the mean of the second variable, the hands on head sitting position. The

alternate hypothesis states that the means are not equal.

 Eskuri - Rupert 28

Figure 18. Straight vs. Hands on Head Test and Density Curve

As shown by the bell curve in figure 18 above, the t-value was found to be 2.4463

equating to the p-value of 0.016. There is a 1.6% chance of getting the difference in HRR

that we did by chance alone if there is no difference. This is less than the alpha level of

0.05, so the null hypothesis was rejected. From this it can be concluded that the
 Eskuri - Rupert 29

difference between the straight position and hands on head position was statistically

significant.

A 95% confidence t-interval was then conducted on the data. From that t-interval,

it can be concluded with 95% confidence the difference in mean HRRs between the

straight position and the hands on head position was within the interval of 0.6306 and

7.6714 BPM. This interval captures the true population mean values of STR which

represents the mean of the straight up sitting position, and HOH which represents the

mean of the hands on head sitting position.This suggests that the straight position had

higher HRRs than the hands on head position since the interval was greater than zero.

Conclusion

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the sitting position that was

most beneficial to heart rate recovery, or HRR. It was originally hypothesized that the

position that the hands on head position would yield the highest, and therefore best, HRR.

The reasoning behind this hypothesis came from what athletic trainers and coaches

normally tell their athletes to do in order to recover. This was rejected after close

examination of the collected data, a series of two-sample t tests, and multiple confidence

intervals. The data was collected by taking the difference between two heart rates, HRs,

of male cross country runners. A participant would run a distance of eight hundred meters

at his normal 5K pace with a chest strap heart rate monitor on, and the HR, measured in

beats per minute or BPM, would be recorded directly after finishing the run. Then the

participant would sit in a specific position for a minute. These positions included
 Eskuri - Rupert 30

slouching with their forearms on their thighs, sitting upright with their back straight, and

sitting upright with their hands on their heads. The HR would be recorded at the one

minute mark and the difference between the the two HRs were found, defined as the

HRR. The participant would then have an additional five minutes to recover before

running and sitting in a different position, and this was repeated until the participant had

sat in each position. Each person that ran an eight hundred three times was counted as

one trial and seventy five trials were conducted with five participating high school cross

country teams.

The collected data, the series of two-sample t tests, and multiple confidence

intervals proved that the slouching position had the highest HRR. The first two-sample t

test conducted was between the slouching and straight positions and the p-value found

was 0.0750 meaning that there was no significant difference between the HRRs of the

two positions. The confidence interval performed on the same set of data, the interval

found was -0.3687 to 7.5141, supported this because it included zero. The second t-test

compared the slouching and hands on head positions. The p-value found 0.0002 meaning

that there was a significant difference between the two positions. The confidence interval

computed for these positions, 3.6444 to 11.8043, suggested that the slouching position

had higher HRRs than the hands on head position because the interval was greater than

zero. The third t-test done compared the straight position and the hands on head position.

The p-value found was 0.0160 meaning that there was a significant difference between

the positions. The confidence interval computed, 0.6306 to 7.6714, for this set of data

suggests that the straight position had higher HRRs than the hands on head position

because it was greater than zero. The slouching position had an average recovery of
 Eskuri - Rupert 31

57.61 beats per minute, or BPM, the upright position had the second highest HRR with an

average of 54.04 BPM, and the hands on head position had the lowest HRR with an

average of 49.89 BPM.

Though there are not many studies relating sitting position and heart rate, many

athletes query about the position that yields the fastest recovery position. The main

misconception about the hands on head sitting position is that it relieved the respiratory

system, opposed to the slouched position, which would crush the lungs (Lunn-

Rockliffe). However, other research relating to heart rate recovery and sitting position

gave an explanation as to why the two positions they tested had an effect on the ribcage

and diaphragm. In the research thesis from the faculty of Western Washington University,

their research concluded that the hands on knees standing position gave the fastest

recovery rate opposed to the standing hands on head position. Their explanation was that

the hands on knees position is reported to increase the zone of apposition, or ZOA, of the

diaphragm (Houplin), the area of attachment between the diaphragm and the ribcage

(Lindgren). It has been suggested that the ZOA is influenced mainly by the orientation of

the ribcage and optimizing it is done by increasing the surface area of the diaphragm.

This is observed during spinal flexion (Houplin), or bending forward (Asher). The

research thesis supported the data that showed the slouching position had the best HRR.

The increased ZOA is not the only thing that affects HRR. Gravity affects HR as

well. Studies show that when resting in the supine position, lying on the back (Supine),

the effect gravity has on the body is reduced allowing an increased amount of blood to

flow back to the heart. Since more blood has returned to the heart, it is able to pump more

per beat. This results in a decrease of the number of required beats per minute needed to
 Eskuri - Rupert 32

distribute the blood throughout the body, as opposed to the number needed when standing

(Hughes). This can be applied to the experiment because when the participants were

sitting straight, both with and without their hands on their heads, they were fighting

against gravity in order to stay upright. When they were slouching, they were resting on

their legs, decreasing the effect of gravity. In this way, the data collected agrees with

other research done in this field.

There were some design flaws during the trials of the experiment. During our trial

period, there would be four participants running at a time, each with a monitor on, that

would also recover together. After the second HR was taken, the monitors were passed to

four other participants. These participants ran while the original four recovered for their

additional five minutes. Because everyone has a different 5K pace, some faster and

slower, some participants may have received an extra minute or two minute of rest

between their trials. There were also coaches that did not want their athletes to rest for so

long between each run so they had slightly less recovery time as well. However, this did

not prove to be significant because the high school athletes belonging to those teams were

conditioned to only require three minutes or less of recovery time during practices, per

their coaches. The five minutes were to ensure that each participant, from every team,

had a full recovery between each eight hundred meters, including the ones that were not

as fit as the others. These were also deemed insignificant because the heart rate for each

person right after every run that they did was consistent and were within 5 BPM of each

other. Another flaw was due to the use of the Wahoo Blue HR monitor that was used for

the collection of data. Every once in awhile the monitor would slide from its position or

unsnap from itself, forcing the participants to stop and put them back on or to redo the
 Eskuri - Rupert 33

trial. Again, it did not seem to affect the data itself, as the science supports the slouching

position over both the straight up and hands on head position.

This information can be used by coaches, athletic trainers, and athletes that are

involved with sports where recovery is important. Some sports that could benefit from

this research are swimming and track athletes because they may be participating in

multiple events that are close to each other in time in a single competition. The athletes

that recover quicker have a large advantage in these scenarios since they will not be as

physically exhausted when participating in the events that come later in the competition.

To find the optimal position for HRR, further research can test the effect between other

recovery methods and positions. These can include variations of the supine position

mentioned above, variations in standing positions, and the difference between resting

recovery and active recovery. Further research that can be done to find the optimal

recovery position also includes identifying the effect different recovery methods has on

respiratory recovery. This is because the respiratory system has an effect on athletes

performance as well and is the reasoning behind athletes being told to recover with their

hands on their heads.

 Eskuri - Rupert 34

Acknowledgements

We appreciate everyone that assisted us over the course of this research

experiment. We would like to acknowledge Mrs. Cybulski for guiding us while we were

writing the content of this paper, as well as helping with the formatting of the paper. We

would like to thank Mr. Estapa as well for giving us insight on the scientific backgrounds

behind the experiment and for providing us with great athletic examples. We would also

like to thank our professional contact, Ms. Dufour for giving assistance for choosing a

heart rate monitor. Finally, we would like to acknowledge and thank the Warren Cousino,

Warren De La Salle, Fraser, Lake Shore, and Warren Mott Cross Country teams for

allowing us to test their runners for our research.

 Eskuri - Rupert 35

Appendix A: Sample Calculations

Two-Sample t test

Figure 19. Two-Sample t test Formula

Figure 19 shows the equation for a two-sample t test which finds the value t

which represents the number of standard deviations from the mean the average data lie in

a t distribution. x 1 is the mean of the first set of data and x 2 is the mean of the

second set of data. s 1 is the standard deviation of the first set of data and s 2 is the

standard deviation of the second set of data. n1 is the number of data points in the first

set of data and n2 is the number of data points in the second set of data points.
 Eskuri - Rupert 36

Figure 20. Two-Sample t test Sample Calculation

Figure 20 shows sample calculations for a two-sample t test. The t-value was

found to be 1.7924. To find the p-value that equates to this t-value plug 1.7924 into Table

C located in a statistics book. The p-value in this case is 0.075 and this is what is used to

determine if the null hypothesis can be rejected or not.

Two-Sample t Confidence Interval

Figure 21. Two-Sample t Interval Equation

Figure 21 shows the equation for a two-sample t confidence interval. The x

variable represents the true mean of each sitting position. The t* represents the

confidence interval between two of the sitting positions. The s 2 represents the

standard deviation lines between the two sitting positions, and the n represents the total

number of trials performed for each sitting position. The confidence interval takes the

data provided for that test and finds the interval that the true population mean lies in.
 Eskuri - Rupert 37

Figure 22. Two-Sample t Interval Sample Calculation

Figure 22 shows a sample calculation for a two-sample t confidence interval. In

this case the interval was found to be or the values between 1.58 and 5.56.

This means that the true population mean lies between 1.58 and 5.56. Because this

interval is greater than zero this suggests that the first x variable had higher values

than the second variable.

Appendix B Randomization

Materials:

Ti-Nspire

Procedures:

1. Turn on Ti-Nspire and open a new calculator page

2. Press the menu button and and scroll to choice 5: Probability and press enter

3. Scroll to choice 4: Randomization and press enter

 Eskuri - Rupert 38

4. Scroll to choice 2: Integer and press enter

5. The calculator page will say randInt(). In the parenthesis enter the value

one with a comma symbol, the value three with a comma symbol, and the value

of three again. The first two values mean that the randomization will start at one

and end at two. The second three means that the numbers 1, 2, and 3 will be

shown in a random order.The value of one corresponded to the slouching

position, two corresponded to the upright position, and three corresponded to the

hands on head position.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the number of trials being done

Works Cited

Asher, Anne. "Posture, Injury and Back Pain - Spinal Flexion." Verywell. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <https://www.verywell.com/the-daily-spine-spinal-

flexion-296439>.

Bumgardner, Wendy. "What Is Aerobic Metabolism?" Verywell. N.p., n.d. Web.

28 Sept. 2016.<https://www.verywell.com/what-is-aerobic-metabolism-

3432628>.
 Eskuri - Rupert 39

Chudler, Eric H. "Autonomic Nervous System." Neuroscience for Kids.

University of Washington, n.d. Web.

<https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/auto.html>.

Cole, Christopher R., Eugene Blackstone H., Fredric Pashkow J., Claire Snader

E., and Michael Lauer S. "Heart-Rate Recovery Immediately after Exercise as a

Predictor of Mortality NEJM." New England Journal of Medicine. The New

England Journal of Medicine, n.d. Web.

<http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199910283411804#t=articleDiscuss

ion>.

Dufour, Jackie. "Discussing Heart Rate Monitors." E-mail interview. 19 Sept. 2016.

"Heart Rate." UC Davis Sports Medicine. UC Regents, n.d.

Web.<http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/sportsmedicine/resources/heart_rate_descri

ption.html>.

Houplin, Joana V.M. "The Effects of Two Different Recovery Postures during

High Intensity Interval Training." WWU Masters Thesis Collection. Western

Michigan University, n.d. Web. <http://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1329&context=wwuet>.

Hughes, Martin. "Heart Rate & Body Positions." LIVESTRONG.COM.

LIVESTRONG.COM, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.livestrong.com/article/268891-heart-rate-body-positions/>.

Lindgren, Hans, DC. "Diaphragm Function for Core Stability." Diaphragm

Function for Core Stability Hans Lindgren DC. N.p., 9 July 2011. Web. 20 Nov.

2016. <http://hanslindgren.com/articles/diaphragm-function-for-core-stability/>.
 Eskuri - Rupert 40

Lunn-Rockliffe, Victor. "Slouching | Effects of Slouching | Bad Posture."

Slouching | Effects of Slouching | Bad Posture. NormalBreathing, n.d. Web. 21

Nov. 2016. <http://www.normalbreathing.com/c-stop-slouching.php>.

"New Health Advisor." Why Does Heart Rate Increase During Exercise? | New Health

Advisor. New Health Advisor, 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

<http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/why-does-heart-rate-increase-during-

exercise.html>.

"Supine Position | Definition of Supine Position by Medical Dictionary." The Free

Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016. <http://medical-

dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/supine+position>.

"Thoracic Diaphragm." Healthline. Healthline Medical Team, n.d. Web.

<http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/diaphragm>.

Tomek, Bryan. "Using a Heart Rate Monitor to Improve Fitness." Active. Active,

n.d. Web.<http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/using-a-heart-rate-monitor-to-

improve-fitness-872943>.

Tworek, Danielle. "Is a High Heart Rate During Exercise Good or Bad?"

LIVESTRONG.COM. Leaf Group, 13 Jan. 2014. Web.

<http://www.livestrong.com/article/542697-is-a-high-heart-rate-during-exercise-

good-or-bad/>.