Health and performance effects of 12 weeks of small-sided street football training compared to grass football training in habitually active young men.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the health and exercise performance effects of street football training on very small pitches surrounded by boards in young habitually active men in comparison to small-sided football training on grass. METHODS: Thirty-nine habitually active men (30.7 ± 6.7 years, 90.9 ± 16.6 kg, 183.8 ± 4.5 cm, 39.6 ± 6.0 mL/min/kg) were randomly assigned to a street football training group (ST) or grass football group (GR) playing small-sided games for 70 min, 1.5 and 1.7 times per week for 12 weeks, respectively, or an inactive control group (CO). Intensity during training was measured using heart rate (HR) and GPS units. Pre- and post-intervention, a test battery was completed. RESULTS: Mean HR (87.1 ± 5.0 vs. 84.0 ± 5.3%HRmax; P > 0.05) and percentage of training time above 90%HRmax (44 ± 28 vs. 34 ± 24%; P > 0.05) were not different between ST and GR. VO2max increased (P < 0.001) by 3.6[95% CI 1.8;5.4]mL/min/kg in GR with no significant change in ST or CO. HR during running at 8 km/h decreased (P < 0.001) by 14[10;17]bpm in ST and by 12[6;19]bpm in GR, with no change in CO. No changes were observed in blood pressure, resting HR, total body mass, lean body mass, whole-body bone mineral density, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, plasma insulin, total cholesterol(C), LDL-C or HDL-C. Moreover, no changes were observed in Yo-Yo IE2 performance, 30-m sprint time, jump length or postural balance. CONCLUSION: Small-sided street football training for 12 weeks with 1-2 weekly sessions led to improvements in submaximal exercise capacity only, whereas recreational grass football training confirmed previous positive effects on submaximal exercise capacity as well as cardiorespiratory fitness.

Acute arm and leg muscle glycogen and metabolite responses to small-sided football games in healthy young men.

PURPOSE: Studies have indicated upper body involvement during football, provoking long-term muscular adaptations. This study aimed at examining the acute metabolic response in upper and lower body skeletal muscle to football training organized as small-sided games (SSG). METHODS: Ten healthy male recreational football players [age 24 ± 1 (± SD) yrs; height 183 ± 4 cm; body mass 83.1 ± 9.7 kg; body fat 15.5 ± 5.4%] completed 1-h 5v5 SSG (4 × 12 min interspersed with 4-min recovery periods). Muscle biopsies were obtained from m. vastus lateralis (VL) and m. deltoideus (DE) pre- and post-SSG for muscle glycogen and metabolite analyses. Blood lactate samples were obtained at rest, middle and end of the SSG. RESULTS: Muscle glycogen in VL decreased (P < 0.01) by 21% and tended (P = 0.08) to decrease in DE by 13%. Muscle lactate increased in VL (117%; P < 0.001) and DE (81%; P < 0.001) during the game, while blood lactate rose threefold. Muscle ATP and PCr were unaltered, but intermuscular differences were detected for ATP at both time points (P < 0.001) and for PCr at pre-SSG (P < 0.05) with VL demonstrating higher values than DE, while muscle creatine rose in VL (P < 0.001) by 41% and by 22% in DE (P = 0.02). Baseline citrate synthase maximal activity was higher (P < 0.05) in VL compared to DE, whereas baseline muscle lactate concentration was higher (P < 0.05) in DE than VL. CONCLUSION: The upper body may be extensively involved during football play, but besides a rise in muscle lactate in the deltoideus muscle similar to the leg muscles, the present study did not demonstrate acute metabolic changes of an order that may explain the previously reported training effect of football play in the upper extremities.

Estimation of maximal oxygen uptake using the heart rate ratio method in male recreational football players.

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic health in the general population. The heart rate (HR) ratio method (HRratio) is a valid, easy and accessible method for estimating VO2max in well-trained subjects. This study examined the validity of using the HRratio to estimate VO2max in recreational football players in the untrained and trained states. Sixty-six participants (age 39.3 ± 5.8 years) were tested pre-training and 28 after 12 weeks, for VO2max assessment, running on a treadmill alternating speed (1 km h-1) and inclination (1%) increments every 30 s until exhaustion. Maximal HR (HRmax) was assessed directly with a multiple approach and estimated with selected equations. Resting HR (HRrest) was measured in supine position, after 15 min of rest. The HRratio method considers the product of HRmax/HRrest ratio by a theoretical proportionality factor (15 ml kg-1 min-1, TPF) to estimate VO2max. This population-specific proportionality factor (SPF) was 14.6 ± 2.6 ml kg-1 min-1. In the untrained state (n = 66), participants' actual VO2max (41.3 ± 6.2 ml kg-1 min-1) was moderately lower (~ 2 ml kg-1 min-1) than the estimated VO2max using the TPF. A nonsignificant difference (0.7 ml kg-1 min-1) was found when the VO2max was estimated using the SPF. When using HRmax equations and the TPF, a small nonsignificant difference (~ 1.5 ml kg-1 min-1) was reported between actual and estimated VO2max. In the trained state (n = 28), the estimated VO2max values were not significantly different from the actual VO2max (44.2 ± 5.2 ml kg-1 min-1), with large effect sizes when considering TPF and estimated HRmax. The results of this study provide evidence of the applicability of HRratio in estimating VO2max in male adult/middle-aged recreational football players.

Effects of recreational team handball on bone health, postural balance and body composition in inactive postmenopausal women - A randomised controlled trial.

This study reports the effects of a recreational team handball exercise programme (randomised controlled trial, RCT) on bone health, postural balance and body composition in inactive postmenopausal women without previous experience of the sport. Sixty-seven postmenopausal women (68.3 ± 6.2 years, stature 156.9 ± 5.8 cm, body mass 65.6 ± 9.6 kg, body fat 40.9 ± 5.9%, VO2peak 25.2 ± 3.6 mL·min-1·kg-1) were randomised into team handball (THG, n = 41) and control (CG, n = 26) groups. During the 16-week intervention period, THG performed two to three 60-min training sessions per week, while CG continued with their habitual physical activity. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC), biochemical bone formation (osteocalcin (OC), procollagen type-1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP)) and resorption (carboxy-terminal type-1 collagen crosslinks (CTX)) markers, postural balance, body fat and lean mass were evaluated at baseline and post intervention. A time x group interaction (p ≤ 0.02) was shown for lumbar spine BMD (+1.5%) and BMC (+2.3%), P1NP (+37.6 ± 42.4%), OC (+41.9 ± 27.0%) and postural balance (-7 ± 37% falls), in favour of THG with no changes in CG. This RCT showed that short-term recreational team handball practice had an impact on bone turnover and was effective for improving bone health and postural balance in postmenopausal women without previous experience of the sport, hence potentially helping to reduce the risk of falls and fractures.

Effects of a 16-week recreational team handball intervention on aerobic performance and cardiometabolic fitness markers in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal women have an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, which can be counteracted by conventional exercise regimes or recreational football. Less is known about the impact of exercise programmes based on other team sports. Thus, we examined the effects of recreational team handball on aerobic performance, cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health in untrained postmenopausal women. METHODS: Sixty-seven participants (age 68 ± 6 years, stature 157 ± 6 cm, body mass 67 ± 10 kg, fat mass 37 ± 7%, VO2peak 25.2 ± 3.6 mL/min/kg, Yo-Yo intermittent endurance level 1 test performance (YYIE1) 230 ± 103 m) with no previous experience of team handball were randomly allocated to either a team handball (THG, n = 41) or a control (CG, n = 26) group. THG performed 2-3 60-min training sessions per week for 16 weeks. YYIE1 performance and cardiometabolic markers were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS: Average attendance during recreational team handball training was 1.9 ± 0.4 sessions per week, with mean heart rates of 76 ± 6%HRmax and 18 ± 9 min (44 ± 20% of total time) played at HR > 80%HRmax. A between-group effect was observed for YYIE1 performance, with a more pronounced improvement in aerobic exercise performance in THG compared to CG (70 ± 62 vs 15 ± 44%; p < 0.001). Within-group improvements (p < 0.05) were observed for THG with regard to VO2peak (7 ± 10%), incremental treadmill test time to exhaustion (TTE) (11 ± 14%), total cholesterol (-3 ± 9%) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-2 ± 14%), with no significant changes in CG except an increase (p < 0.05) in TTE. Post-intervention values were higher for THG vs CG for YYIE1 performance (88%; 406 ± 216 vs 216 ± 75 m) and VO2peak (10%; 27.5 ± 3.8 vs 24.9 ± 3.6 mL/min/kg). CONCLUSIONS: Recreational team handball can be used to obtain moderate-to-vigorous aerobic intensities, and just 2 weekly 60-min team handball training sessions for 16 weeks can result in improvements in aerobic performance and in markers of cardiorespiratory fitness in postmenopausal women with no previous experience of the sport.

Estimation of maximal heart rate in recreational football: a field study.

PURPOSE: To examine the accuracy of practical indirect methods (i.e., recreational football match and estimation equations) in assessing individual maximal heart rate (HRmax) in recreational football players. Sixty-two untrained male participants engaged in a recreational football intervention (age 39.3 ± 5.8 years, VO2max 41.2 ± 6.2 ml·kg-1·min-1, body mass 81.9 ± 10.8 kg, height 173.2 ± 6.4 cm) were tested for HRmax using a multiple approach, at baseline and post-intervention (i.e., in the untrained and trained status, respectively). Observed HRmax was plotted against peak match HR (Match-HRpeak) and HRmax estimated from prediction equations (EstHRmax) at both time-points. RESULTS: In the untrained status, only the 211 - 0.64 × Age and 226 - Age equations showed non-significant (medium-to-small) differences with observed HRmax. The differences between observed HRmax and Match-HRpeak were large (P < 0.0001). At post-intervention, the observed HRmax (Post-HRmax) was significantly and largely lower than at baseline. The prediction equations under consideration provided EstHRmax values that were lower than Post-HRmax, with small-to-large differences (P > 0.05). The exception was for the 226 - Age and 211 - 0.64 × Age equations, with values largely higher than Post-HRmax. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests caution when considering EstHRmax and Match-HRpeak in recreational football interventions to track HRmax. The accuracy of EstHRmax may vary according to training status, suggesting the need for different approaches and equations across training interventions.

Submaximal field testing validity for aerobic fitness assessment in recreational football.

Submaximal field tests are especially recommended when repeated testing is warranted. This study aimed at assessing the validity of the submaximal versions of the Yo-Yo intermittent tests in male recreational football players in untrained and trained status. The participants' (n = 66; age 39.3 ± 5.8 years, VO2max 41.2 ± 6.2 mL·kg-1 ·min-1 , body mass 81.9 ± 10.8 kg, height 173.2 ± 6.4 cm) heart rate after 2 minutes (HR2min ) during the level 1 (YYIE1HR2min ) and 2 (YYIE2HR2min ) versions of the Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test and the level 1 version of the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (YYIR1HR2min ) was plotted against individual VO2max values. Thirty-two participants performed all the tests after a 12-week recreational football intervention for test responsiveness. Associations between VO2max and YYIE1HR2min were large to small (P = .0001). Large to trivial associations were found between YYIE2HR2min , YYIR1HR2min , and VO2max (P < .01). Maximal Yo-Yo performances were large, significant, and inversely related to HR2min (-0.68 to -0.49, P < .0001). Pre- to post-intervention ICC values were good for YYIE1HR2min and YYIE2HR2min , and excellent for YYIR1HR2min . Post-intervention associations between HR2min and Yo-Yo maximal performances were large to very large (-0.55 to -0.72; P < .002, n = 32). Training-induced changes in VO2max moderately correlated with YYIR1HR2min (-0.48; P = .007; n = 32). HR2min lower than 89%, 98%, and 91% HRmax for YYIE1HR2min , YYIE2HR2min , and YYIR1HR2min , respectively, may be considered as signs of good to excellent VO2max levels. Since in the YYIE1HR2min , the participants attained 84% HRmax and test specificity increased for HR2min values <89%, this test may be the preferred choice when repeated assessment of aerobic fitness, using submaximal intermittent Yo-Yo tests, is considered in recreational football.