The effect of high-intensity interval training on cardiac functions and blood parameters in elite women football players

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval training on cardiac functions and blood parameters in elite female football players. The research group consisted of 30 volunteer female football players aged between 18 and 25 who continue their active sports life in the Turkish Football Federation Women's 1st League in the province of Diyarbakır. A total of 30 volunteers participated in the study, including 10 female football players in the control group, 10 female football players in the first experimental group, and 10 female football players in the second experimental group. An average of 20-minute exercise program, 8 weeks and 3 days a week, was applied to the volunteer female football players, and the HIIT training model was applied to the football players in the experimental groups for 8 weeks in addition to their routine football training. Measurements of the athletes were taken before starting the training (pre-test), 4 weeks and 8 weeks (post-test). SPSS 22.0 statistical package program was used in the analysis of the data. Shapiro-wilk normality test was performed to determine the differences between the groups, and non-parametric tests were applied since they did not show normal distribution. The kruskal wallis h test was used for group comparisons, and the bonferoni corrected mann whitney u test was used for pairwise comparisons. Significance was accepted as p<0.05. As a result of the analysis, FT4, Glucose for blood parameters; Aortic root and RVD for echo (echocardiography) tests; For ECG (electrocardiography), there was a significant difference in Hr, Pr, Qrs, Qt, Qtc, Qtr values. In comparisons between groups; it is seen that the in-group significance values of the experimental groups were affected more than the control groups. As a result, it was determined that HIIT training had a positive effect on the cardiac and blood parameters of female football players. Keywords: Blood parameters, Cardiac functions, Elite female football player, High intensity interval training.