The effects of preparation period exercises on the hematological parameters of the taekwondo athletes

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed at examining the effects of preparation period exercises, which were applied for eight weeks to elite level taekwondo athletes, on the hematological parameters. Material: Totally 21 athletes with international degrees from the university taekwondo team participated in this study, 12 of whom were female (Mean age: 20.3 - Mean exercise age: 8.8) and 9 of whom were male athletes (Mean age: 20.3 - Mean exercise age: 9.5). The participants attended an 8-week exercise program for 5 days a week, which included basic motoric features and technical and tactical development. 4 cc blood samples were taken from the right antecubital vein before and after the preparation period exercises. On the blood samples, WBC, GRAN, GRAN %, LYM, LYM %, MID and MID % values were examined among leukocyte sub-groups; RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC and RDWC values were examined among the erythrocyte sub-groups, and PLT, MPV, PCT and PDW values were examined among thrombocyte sub-groups. Results: At the end of the study, we determined that there was a statistically significant increase in the MCHC values of both the male and the female taekwondo athletes. Moreover, it was determined that there were statistically significant decreases in the HCT, MCV, MCH, MPV and PCT values of the female taekwondo athletes, and in the MCV, MPV and PCT values of the male taekwondo athletes. Conclusions: As a conclusion, we can state that the 8-week exercises applied during the preparation period affected the hematological parameters of the male and female taekwondo athletes to an extent, however, this effect was limited and it did not cause an important change.

The effects of acute moderate intensity training on hematological parameters in elite para-badminton athletes

“…This study revealed that the increases in the hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCH, and RBC, that carry oxygen to the tissues, values and are related to plasma losses after exercise, were observed to be largely coherent with the discipline [19,21,25]. On the other hand, in a study conducted in 2020 in which the effects of a short-term training program applied under hypoxic conditions on the hematological parameters of Korean disabled cycling national team athletes was investigated, it was revealed that there were no significant differences in oxygen-transporting capacity parameters.…”

“…It was observed in the study that there was neutrophil (granulocyte) increase immediately after exercise in male and female athletes as the amount of WBC increased. Similarly, several studies involving both sedentary individuals and nondisabled athletes reported that the amount of WBC, including neutrophil increase during the early period of exercise [20,21,25]. On the other hand, in a study investigating the pre-and post-competition hematological parameters of a male Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Paradesport athlete, who was an elite paralympic athlete, it was shown that WBC and monocytes increased significantly in the early period after the competition, while lymphocytes decreased.…”

“…It can be argued that this is caused by the inflammatory processes triggered by stress hormones, primarily cortisol and others, which increase through a body's adaptation to exercise [20,30]. Furthermore, previous studies have also shown an increase in neutrophil and lymphocyte values [21,31], and a decrease in MID values [31] in the early period of exercise. It is considered that the findings regarding increased lymphocyte values in some studies contrary to the decrease in lymphocyte values after training in this study may have stemmed from the increased lymphatic flow resulting in increased lymphocyte increase in addition to the increase in cortisol hormone, catecholamines and the subsequent immune response with the stress caused by exercise.…”

“…For example, it was found that exercise is correlated with decreases in the erythrocyte subgroups such as red blood cell count, hemoglobin amount, and hematocrit percentage [16][17][18]. On the other hand, certain erythrocyte subgroups values were shown to have increased after exercise in several studies [19][20][21]. In addition, several studies reported that platelets count increased with exercise [19,20,[22][23][24][25].…”

The effect of pre-season football training on hematological parameters of well-trained young male football players

“…Yeh et al [29] stated that there was no statistically significant change in female and Note: PLT: platelet male athletes' WBC level before and after the 12-week exercise period. Ergün et al [30] have found that aerobic exercises which are applied regularly three days a week do not affect WBC level in middle-aged men.In the study of Boylı et al [31] declared that there was no significant increase in taekwondo athletes' WBC parameters in the preparation period training. These results in the literature are consistent with our research results.…”