Abstract
BackgroundCarbohydrate (CHO) ingestion enhances exercise performance; however, the efficacy of CHO intake on repeated bouts of exercise simulating a taekwondo tournament is unknown. Therefore, the purpose was to compare the effects of two different doses of CHO on a sports-specific kicking test during a simulated taekwondo tournament compared to placebo (PLA).MethodsIn a double-blind, randomized-placebo controlled, cross-over trial, eleven junior male professional taekwondo athletes (age: 16 ± 0.8 years, body mass: 55.3 ± 7.3 kg) ingested one of three solutions: (i) high dose (C45): 45 g of CHO (60 g∙h− 1), (ii) low dose (C22.5): 22.5 g of CHO (30 g∙h− 1; both solutions containing 2:1 glucose:fructose), or a PLA immediately following each kicking test. The kicking test was repeated 5 times, separated by 45 mins of rest, simulating a typical taekwondo competition day. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and gastrointestinal discomfort (GI) scores were collected immediately after, and blood glucose before each test.ResultsThe results revealed that C45 and C22.5 did not improve total, successful, or percentage of successful kicks compared to PLA (p > 0.05). Blood glucose was significantly higher following both CHO conditions compared with PLA across all five tests (p < 0.05). There were no differences between treatments or across tests for RPE (p > 0.05).ConclusionCHO intake, independent of the dose, did not alter taekwondo kick performance during a simulated taekwondo tournament.
Highlights
Taekwondo is one of the most popular weight-classified striking combat sports that has progressed into modernday Olympics Games [1]
Taekwondo competition matches include three 2-min rounds, with 1 min rest between each round [2]. This combat sport is characterized by high-intensity intermittent activity with 0.7 to 1.7-s attacks that include 1–3 kicks and punches, which are interspersed with 2–8 s of low-intensity action composed by step or pause [2]
This study aimed to compare the effects of two different dosages of CHO drinks, equating to 30 and 60 g∙h− 1 compared to placebo, on: total kicks, successful kicks and successful kicks percentage, blood glucose (BG), and Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) following five sport-specific kicking tests repeated every 45 min, designed to simulate a taekwondo tournament
Summary
Taekwondo is one of the most popular weight-classified striking combat sports that has progressed into modernday Olympics Games [1]. Taekwondo competition matches include three 2-min rounds, with 1 min rest between each round [2]. This combat sport is characterized by high-intensity intermittent activity with 0.7 to 1.7-s attacks that include 1–3 kicks and punches, which are interspersed with 2–8 s of low-intensity action composed by step or pause [2]. One of the critical physiological challenges of a taekwondo (and other combat sport) athlete is the short recovery time between each match, which is typically between 30 min and 2 h during a tournament [4, 5]. Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion enhances exercise performance; the efficacy of CHO intake on repeated bouts of exercise simulating a taekwondo tournament is unknown. The purpose was to compare the effects of two different doses of CHO on a sports-specific kicking test during a simulated taekwondo tournament compared to placebo (PLA)
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