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Factors to consider when assessing diurnal variation in sports performance: the influence of chronotype and habitual training time-of-day

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare morning and evening time-trial performance, RPE and mood state of trained swimmers, taking into account chronotype, habitual training time-of-day and PERIOD3 (PER3) variable number tandem repeat genotype.

Methods

Twenty-six swimmers (18 males, age: 32.6 ± 5.7 years) swam 200 m time trials (TT) at 06h30 and 18h30 in a randomised order.

Results

There was no difference between morning and evening performance when the swimmers were considered as a single group (06h30: 158.8 ± 22.7 s, 18h30: 158.5 ± 22.0 s, p = 0.611). However, grouping swimmers by chronotype and habitual training time-of-day allowed us to detect significant diurnal variation in performance, such that morning-type swimmers and those who habitually train in the morning were faster in the 06h30 TT (p = 0.036 and p = 0.011, respectively). This was accompanied by lower ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) scores post-warm-up, higher vigour and lower fatigues scores prior to the 06h30 TT in morning-type swimmers or those who trained in the morning. Similarly, neither types and those who trained in the evenings had lower fatigue and higher vigour prior to the 18h30 TT.

Conclusions

It appears that both chronotype and habitual training time-of-day need to be considered when assessing diurnal variation in performance. From a practical point of view, athletes and coaches should be aware of the potentially powerful effect of training time on shifting time-of-day variation in performance.

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Abbreviations

AM:

Habitual morning training group

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic acid

HÖ:

Horne-Östberg

MT:

Morning type

NT:

Neither type

PER3 :

Period3 gene

PM:

Habitual evening training group

POMS:

Profile of mood states

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

TMD:

Total mood disturbance

TT:

Time-trial

VNTR:

Variable number tandem repeat

4/4:

Homozygous for the PERIOD3 4-repeat allele

4/5:

Heterozygous for the PERIOD3 4- and 5-repeats

5/5:

Homozygous for the PERIOD3 5-repeat allele

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the swimmers for their commitment to this study. KS received the Innovation Masters Scholarship from the National Research Foundation of South Africa, as well as a bursary from the University of Cape Town’s Research Committee. LR received grants from the National Research Foundation of South Africa and the University of Cape Town’s Research Committee. DR received an internal interim grant from the University of Cape Town and DR’s research unit receives funding from Discovery Vitality and the South African Medical Research Council.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC/UCT Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Dale E. Rae & Kim J. Stephenson

  2. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Laura C. Roden

Authors
  1. Dale E. Rae
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  2. Kim J. Stephenson
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  3. Laura C. Roden
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dale E. Rae.

Additional information

Communicated by Dick F. Stegeman.

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Rae, D.E., Stephenson, K.J. & Roden, L.C. Factors to consider when assessing diurnal variation in sports performance: the influence of chronotype and habitual training time-of-day. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 1339–1349 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3109-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3109-9

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