Heart rate variability (HRV) in sports and health management
Optimize physical and mental performance with one single psychophysiological indicator
+++ This continuing education course is held as an in-person seminar. You can find the alternative online-seminar in this overview +++
How healthy are your athletes or patients? How well do employees cope with stress, or students regulate emotions? These questions all relate to one core factor: the efficiency of self-regulation mechanisms.
Heart rate variability (HRV) offers a time-efficient, non-invasive way to assess these processes. As an indicator of cardiac vagal activity, HRV provides insights into physical resilience, emotional regulation, and stress management.
This course gives a practice-oriented introduction to HRV. Participants learn the theoretical foundations, conduct hands-on HRV measurements, analyze and interpret data, and explore applications. Instructors Dr. Sylvain Laborde, Dr. Uirassu Borges, and Maša Iskra guide participants through exercises, software analysis, and case studies.
Based on the HRV Lab at the German Sport University Cologne, an internationally recognized research group with 15+ years of experience, the course covers evidence-based methods including the Vagal Tank Theory and non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation.
Participants will apply HRV to optimize training and mental preparation in sport, enhance health and stress management in clinical or work settings, and support well-being in educational or corporate contexts. Practical experience includes using smartphone apps and heart rate monitors (e.g., Polar, Garmin, Suunto) and comparing them to ECG measurements.
Note: Please bring your own laptop if possible. Participants who already own compatible devices or heart rate monitors are invited to bring them along.
Inhalte
Contents
Theoretical and psychophysiological foundation of HRV- Theories: What can we learn from research?
- Factors influencing HRV: Understanding what influences our potential for self-regulation
- What equipment is needed?
- What guidelines should be followed to obtain meaningful results?
- Working with the Kubios software
- Which HRV indicators are important?
- Endurance training and HRV
- Resting, reactivity, and recovery of HRV in a sports context
- Sports interventions for occupational health management
- Planning training load, identifying overtraining
- Monitoring recovery and testing recovery capacity
- Injury prevention and rehabilitation
- Role in scouting and talent development
- Tracking sleep quality
- Examination of possible relaxation techniques and development of individualized relaxation interventions for everyday (and professional) life
- Learning to use HRV biofeedback
- Discovering and determining the best individual breathing rate for relaxation
- Discovering the relationship between the heart and personality
- Improving self-control and avoiding inappropriate reactions
- Improving concentration and maintaining optimal focus on the task at hand
- Reducing harmful aggression
- Significance of mental disorders (such as anxiety disorders and depression) in occupational health management
- Connection between HRV and stress in professional and private life
- Creating relaxation interventions for managers, office workers, or employees in technical professions
Referenten
Dr. Uirassu Borges
Maša Iskra
apl. Prof. Dr. Dr. Sylvain Laborde
Zielgruppen/Teilnahmevoraussetzungen
Target groups/participation requirements
Coaches, teachers, (sports) students, corporate health managers, (sports) physicians, and other healthcare professionals.Veranstaltungsort
German Sport University Cologne
Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6
50933 Köln
TeilnehmerInnen
Max. 20 Personen
Termin
09.05.2026 und 10.05.2026 Event duration: 2 days Saturday, 09:00 - 18:00 Uhr Sunday, 09:00 - 16:00 Uhr including lunch
Gebühren (Euro)
| Teilnahmegebühr | 378,00EUR | |
| vergünstigte Teilnahmegebühr* | 356,00EUR | |
| DSHS-Studierendengebühr | 334,00EUR |
Fees (Euro)
Participation fee 378.00 EUR Reduced participation fee* 356.00 EUR DSHS student fee 334.00 EUR DSHS employees, students (not enrolled at DSHS), apprentices, unemployed persons, SpoHo.Net PLUS members (one-year membership)