Effects of a high-intensity interval training protocol based on functional exercises on performance and body composition in handball female players

Abstract

The aim of this study is to measure the impact of 8-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) based on functional exercises on the following variables in handball female players: weight (kg), body mass index (BMI), % fat, jumping (cm), repeated sprint ability (RSA), aerobic capacity. Fourteen female players were randomly assigned either to an experimental group (GE, n=7) which would undertake a "mixed functional HIIT" (combining strength, coordination and plyometric exercises) before training sessions, or to a control group (GC, n=7), in which HIIT was replaced by usual warm-up exercises in the field. The intervention programme lasted 8 weeks, with two training sessions a week. A pre-test and post-test on each variable were carried out. The intra-group GC analysis showed no significant changes between the pre-and post-test in any variable. Figures for the GE, though, showed significant changes: a 3.45% (d=0.67) reduction in % fat of players, RSA execution time went down by 7.22% RSA (d=0.82), and VO2max increased by 6.19% (d=0.78). These results seem to point to "mixed functional HIIT" as an effective strategy to improve body composition

Effect of Functional Training on Physical Fitness Among Athletes: A Systematic Review

“…All studies specified their eligibility criteria, similar baseline group, betweengroup comparisons, point measure and variability. None of the studies reported on allocation concealment, blind subject, blind therapist, blind assessor, or intention to treat analysis, except for three studies which described random allocation (Tomljanović et al, 2011;Alonso-Fernández et al, 2017;Yildiz et al, 2019), and only one study reported follow-ups (Oliver and Brezzo, 2009). Nevertheless, it is challenging to include blind subjects, blind therapists, and blind assessors as participants and assessors, since the included studies were exercise training interventions.…”

“…On the other hand, a new exercise training method that has recently received much attention to developing athletes' physical fitness is functional training (Feito et al, 2018). Several studies have confirmed that functional training can enhance speed (Tomljanović et al, 2011;Sander et al, 2013;Alonso-Fernández et al, 2017;Yildiz et al, 2019;Baron et al, 2020;Keiner et al, 2020), muscular strength (Oliver and Brezzo, 2009;Tomljanović et al, 2011;Elbadry, 2014;Cherepov and Shaikhetdinov, 2016;Keiner et al, 2020), power (Tomljanović et al, 2011;Alonso-Fernández et al, 2017;Yildiz et al, 2019;Keiner et al, 2020), balance (Oliver and Brezzo, 2009;Elbadry, 2014;Yildiz et al, 2019), body composition (Oliver and Brezzo, 2009;Tomljanović et al, 2011;Alonso-Fernández et al, 2017), agility (Tomljanović et al, 2011;Cherepov and Shaikhetdinov, 2016;Yildiz et al, 2019), flexibility (Yildiz et al, 2019) and muscular endurance (Oliver and Brezzo, 2009). Additionally, other research has discovered positive effects of functional training on physical fitness in football players (Oliver and Brezzo, 2009;Sander et al, 2013;Baron et al, 2020;Keiner et al, 2020), handball players (Elbadry, 2014;Alonso-Fernández et al, 2017), martial artists (Cherepov and Shaikhetdi...…”

International Standards for the 3‐Minute Burpee Test: High‐ Intensity Motor Performance

“…In HICT, body weight is used for resistance, and it eliminates the need for equipment and facilities. For this reason, HICT exercises are often used in high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) which is also an optimal workout for improving metabolic and cardiovascular functions (Alonso‐Fernandez et al, 2017). Therefore, HICT is a time‐efficient strategy which facilitates training adaptation to a similar extent as competitive training (Martins et al, 2016).…”

“…Therefore, HICT is a time‐efficient strategy which facilitates training adaptation to a similar extent as competitive training (Martins et al, 2016). HICT is highly effective in team sports (Alonso‐Fernandez et al, 2017), most combat sports (Podstawski et al, 2016a), functional training such as cross‐fit and water sports (Claudino et al, 2018). Fan et al (2013) demonstrated that high‐intensity exercises performed for both less and more than 10 minutes decreased the body mass index and lowered the risk of obesity.…”

“…Based on the length of work intervals, HICT can be classified as; long (3‐15 min), moderate (1‐3 min) and short HICT (10 s – 1 min) (Guiraud et al, 2012). The intensity and duration of work intervals generally determine physiological adaptation and the benefits of high intensity training (Alonzo‐Fernandez et al, 2017; Di Pietro et al, 2006).…”