ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Netw. Physiol.
Sec. Network Physiology of Exercise
This article is part of the Research TopicInsights in Network Physiology of ExerciseView all 3 articles
Beyond Hypertrophy: A Network Physiology Perspective on the Cardio-Neuromuscular Trade-Off in Elite Soccer
Provisionally accepted
- 1Barry University, Miami Shores, United States
- 2Aristoteleio Panepistemio Thessalonikes, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Abstract Conventional models treat cardiovascular and neuromuscular adaptations as independent, which can hide interference between endurance and power. We investigated whether cardiac remodeling is associated with peak explosive power when adaptation is considered as an integrated system. Nineteen male Super League soccer players completed two-dimensional echocardiography to quantify left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and performed a fifteen-repetition vertical jump test. We adjusted variables for body size and training years, then estimated a partial-correlation network with a Gaussian graphical model and ran sensitivity and subgroup checks. The developed network was sparse and stable. A selective inverse association linked LVMI with maximal jump height (partial correlation −0.41), supported by a complementary Bayesian analysis (Bayes factor 5.70). Neuromuscular variables formed a tight positive cluster, and LVMI did not show negative coupling with other jump metrics, indicating a specific rather than global trade-off. In elite players, a cardiac phenotype consistent with endurance support coincided with constrained peak explosive output when the system was analyzed as a whole. An interdependent network view clarifies interference patterns and points to targeted monitoring and periodization strategies for high-performance sport. Keywords: athlete's heart, left ventricular mass index, network method and edges, sensitivity findings, concurrent training
Keywords: athlete's heart, Concurrent training, Left ventricular mass index, network method and edges, sensitivityfndings
Received: 07 Nov 2025; Accepted: 19 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Papadakis, Koutlianos, Panoutsakopoulos and Kouidi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zacharias Papadakis
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