Morning–evening difference of team-handball-related short-term maximal physical performances in female team handball players

Abstract

This study investigated the two different time-of-day effect on team-handball-related short-term maximal physical performances. At two different time-of-day, fifteen young female team handball players performed different physical tests: HandGrip (HG) test, Ball-Throwing Velocity (BTV) test, Modified Agility T-test (MAT) and Repeated Shuttle-Sprint and Jump Ability (RSSJA) test. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale was determined following the termination of the last test. Measurements were performed at two separate testing sessions (i.e., in the morning (7:00-8:30 h) and in the early evening (17:00-18:30 h)) in a randomised and counter-balanced setting on non-consecutive days. The results showed that HG (P = 0.0013), BTV (P = 0.0027) and MAT (P < 0.001) performances were better in the evening compared with the morning. During RSSJA, both best and mean sprint times were shorter in the evening compared to the morning (P < 0.001). Moreover, during the latter test, mean jump performance was higher in the evening compared to the morning (P = 0.026). However, there was no morning-evening difference in the best jump performance during RSSJA. Likewise, jump performance decrement was not affected by the time-of-day of testing. On the other hand, RPE fluctuated, with morning nadirs and afternoon/early evening highest values. The findings suggest that in female team handball players, team-handball-related short-term maximal physical performances were better in the afternoon than in the morning.

Diurnal Variations in Physical Performance: Are There Morning-to-Evening Differences in Elite Male Handball Players?

“…Previous studies ( Chtourou and Souissi, 2012 ; Mhenni et al, 2017 ; West et al, 2014 ; Zarrouk et al, 2012 ) confirmed maximal shortterm performances depend on the time of day completed with morning nadirs and afternoon peaks. For example, high-intensity short duration performance is usually higher in the afternoon (16:00-20:00 h) compared to the morning (6:00-10:00 h) ( Zarrouk et al, 2012 ).…”

“…This variation in muscle power, strength and sprint ability ranges from 3 to 21% depending on the muscle group and athlete sample investigated ( Chtourou and Souissi, 2012 ). Specifically in handball players, Mhenni et al (2017) reported maximal handgrip strength of the dominant hand (19.4%, effect size (ES) = 0.73), ball throwing velocity (5.4%, ES = 0.50) and change-of-direction speed (12.1%, ES = 1.59) were higher in the evening compared to the morning. However, in addition to strength, throwing and change-of-direction attributes, handball players also undergo extensive sprinting activity with and without a ball over 5-20 m as well as they need to respond to extensive jumping demands during match-play ( Wagner et al, 2014 ).…”

“…Diurnal variations in physical performance have been partly attributed to the natural fluctuations in core temperature ( Chtourou and Souissi, 2012 ; Mhenni et al, 2017 ; West et al, 2014 ). For instance, West et al (2014) concluded small morning-to-evening changes in core temperature (1.3%, ES = 0.98) decreased physical performance (peak power) by 5.1% (ES = 0.45) in elite athletes.…”

“…In addition, diurnal enhancements in muscle force are related to improvement of muscle contractile properties in the evening due to a higher mechanical response to motor neuron stimulation ( Guette et al, 2005 ). However, diurnal variation in short-term physical performance may be influenced by many factors such as the age, training level, experience, nutritional status, and sleeping behaviour of the athlete ( Chtourou and Souissi, 2012 ; Mhenni et al, 2017 ). Sleeping behaviour is an especially important factor to be considered in affecting short-term performance in handball players as it is recognised as the single most efficacious recovery strategy due to its physiological and psychological restorative effects ( Halson, 2008 ; Leeder et al, 2012 ).…”

“…To date, diurnal variations in short-term maximal physical performance have been investigated in female handball players ( Mhenni et al, 2017 ), judo athletes ( Souissi et al, 2013 ), and rugby players ( West et al, 2014 ). The existing studies have primarily focused on short-term physical performance using test protocols nonspecific to actual match demands.…”