PL-005 Effects of Strength-endurance training on muscle damage after tennis competition

Abstract

Objective The present study aimed to identify the level of muscle damage that develops after a tennis match, and to investigate the potential effects of eight weeks of strength-endurance training on the level of this muscle damage.
 Methods The study included 30 male tennis players aged 18 years and above who had been actively playing tennis matches at least for five years, and who voluntarily agreed to take part in the study. The participants were classified into two groups, consisting of 15 experimental subjects and 15 controls. To begin with, all of the participants played tennis matches for three hours according to the international rules of the game, and partners were changed every one hour. In order to determine the level of muscle damage after the tennis match, the blood levels of Creatinine Kinase (CK), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Aminotransferase (ALT) and Myoglobin were measured prior to the matches, and immediately, 24 hours, and 48 hours after the completion of the match. Afterwards, the participants in both groups engaged in eight weeks of tennis training three days a week for 90 minutes per day. The participants in the experimental group additionally carried out eight weeks of strength-endurance training three days a week for 90 minutes per day. The abovementioned measurements were repeated in both groups at the end of the eighth week.
 Results The CK values of the experimental and control groups, which were measured simultaneously before the training programs, were not significantly different, while after the eight-week training program, the CK values measured immediately after the match (<0.001) and 48 hours (p<0.05) after the match were significantly lower in the experimental group when compared to the control group. LDH values, which were simultaneously measured prior to the training programs, were also not significantly different between the experimental and control groups, while those measured immediately after the match (p<0.05) and 24 hours (p<0.05) after the match were significantly lower in the experimental group when compared to the control group after the training program. The ALT and myoglobin levels, which were measured simultaneously in both groups after the training program also slightly decreased, but the difference between two groups was not statistically significant.
 Conclusions The results of the present study demonstrate that strength-endurance training, carried out in addition to an eight-week regular tennis training program, resulted in a significant decrease in markers of muscle damage after a tennis match played for the same duration at the same intensity.