Repeated-sprint training in the fasted state during Ramadan: morning or evening training?

The present study assessed the optimal moment-of-day for repeated-sprint training in the fasted state during Ramadan. Thirty amateur soccer players were randomly assigned to a morning training group (MTG, training at ~08:00 a.m., n = 10), an evening training group (ETG, training at ~06:00 p.m., n = 10), and a control group (n = 10). Training sessions, conducted on alternate days, consisted of 3 sets of 6 × 40-m shuttle sprints (2 × 20 m with 180° direction changes). A 20-second passive recovery and a 4-minute passive recovery were allowed between repetitions and sets, respectively. Before and after Ramadan, performance was assessed at both 08:00 a.m. and 06:00 p.m. by countermovement jump (CMJ), repeated-sprint test (RST), and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level-1 (YYIRT1). After Ramadan, YYIRT1 performances were enhanced for both groups in the morning (7.82% and 6.29% for MTG and ETG, respectively, p < 0.05), and in the evening (6.61% and 11.20%, respectively, p < 0.05). Relative changes in YYIRT1 (p = 0.33) and RST (-2.13% and -3.44% for MTG and ETG, respectively, p = 0.49) at the specific time of training were similar for both groups. No differences were observed in CMJ performances before and after Ramadan for any group (p > 0.05). Morning or evening repeated-sprint training conducted in the fasted state during Ramadan enhanced soccer-specific endurance similarly.

Citation

Asma Aloui, Tarak Driss, Hana Baklouti, Hamdi Jaafar, Omar Hammouda, Karim Chamari, Nizar Souissi. Repeated-sprint training in the fasted state during Ramadan: morning or evening training? The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 2017 Feb 22

PMID: 28229567

search → result