Abstract: Physical and mental effort results in changes in urine catecholaminesecretions, heart rate, cardiac rhythm, respiration rate and level ofrespiratory integration, however little is known about individual differ-ences in these parameters resulting from subject's history. In the presentexperiment 12 gymnasts and 12 age-matched non-gymnasts were comparedon a task involving complicated discrimination reactions. The gymnastsshowed a small non-significant increase in urine CA concentrationswhereas the increase for the non-gymnasts was larger and significant.The differences in catecholamine concentrations for gymnasts andnon-gymnasts were significant. Data showed significant heart rate incre-ase, decreases in standard deviation of R-R interval in both groups.Heart rate of gymnasts was lower during rest and performance than in non-gymnasts, and standard deviation of R-R interval was higher ingymnasts which suggests that sinus arrhythmia in gymnasts was morepronounced than in non-gymnasts. Respiration rate increased significantlyin both groups during performance. The value of respiratory integration,as a parameter of relative ventilating flow, decreased significantly bothin gymnasts and non-gymnasts during performance. All of the values ofrespiratory integration in gymnasts were lower than that in non-gymn-asts during corresponding condition, but the difference between twogroups was not significant. These results suggest that some stress-inducedphysiological responses, such as urine CA secretion, heart rate, cardiacrhythm, relative respiratory ventilating flow etc. could be influenced bylongterm training and experience of stress.

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