A new complementary HIIT program with nage-kome in under-18 judo athletes: Pilot Study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of four weeks of complementary high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions (3 weeks of intensified training load (TL) followed by 1 week with reduced TL) on physical performance, internal training load (ITL), stress tolerance (ST), recovery state, and well-being in under-18 judo athletes. Eight under-18 male judo athletes (15.4 ± 0.9 years) were evaluated before and after four weeks of a training period, with the following tests: countermovement jump (CMJ), Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT), Uchi-Komi Speed Test (UST), and Judogi Chin-Up Test (JCT). Well-being and recovery state were evaluated before, and ITL after each training session, and ST at the end of each training week. The training program consisted of four weeks of a judo regular training routine with specific judo techniques, performed three times per week, added to the HIIT complementary training sessions with the nage-komi modality, performed twice a week. There was a significant improvement in the performance of the UST (18.5±2.2 vs. 24.7±2.2 reps) with a large effect size (ES) and a reduction in heart rate one minute after the SJFT (150±9.1 vs. 139±8.0 bpm; large ES) post-training. For ITL, a significant decrease was observed from week 3 to week 4. Therefore, the training period with HIIT led to positive improvements in judo athletes' performance, particularly in the UST, and in the recovery state, as assessed by heart rate (HR) one minute after the completion of the SJFT. In terms of practical applications, it is suggested that HIIT combined with nage-komi could be incorporated into judo training programs to enhance performance.