Acute autonomic modulation during Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation in normal-weight vs. overweight male recreational athletes

Abstract

Heart rate variability is a reliable non-invasive marker of autonomic nervous system activity and has been increasingly used to assess physiological responses to stress and recovery interventions. Although relaxation techniques such as Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation are widely implemented, their acute effects on HRV across individuals with different body mass index classifications remain understudied. This study aimes to analyse HRV-based autonomic modulation during a Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation, and to assess differences between normal-weight and overweight recreational athletes.