Effects of Various Work-to-rest Ratios during High-intensity Interval Training on Athletic Performance in Adolescents.

ABSTRACT

To examine the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with different work-to-rest ratios on athletic performance in athletes. Forty-seven male Taekwondo athletes (aged 15-18 yrs) were randomly assigned into 3 HIIT groups and a control group. Each group performed 6 and 8 bouts of HIIT 1) 12 (3060 s), 2) 14 (30120 s), and 3) 18 (30240 s) groups while the control group performed only Taekwondo training program. All HIIT groups completed 10 sessions over 4 weeks. Athletic performance tests including VO2max test, Wingate anaerobic test, vertical jump, and agility T-test were measured at both pre- and post-tests. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA were applied to examine the performance changes between protocols. VO2max improved significantly in all HIIT groups (p<0.01), and the post-hoc test indicated that the only 14 group showed significant improvement compared to the control group. The HIIT with 14 ratio showed the effective protocol for enhancing anaerobic capacity including relative peak and mean power compared to control (p<0.01). Ten sessions of HIIT involving the 14 group, lasting over a brief 4-week period revealed the effective protocol for enhancing both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Our findings provide practical implications to develop a performance-enhancing program specialized for adolescent Taekwondo athletes.