Pre-competitive physical training and markers of performance, stress and recovery in young volleyball athletes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of physical training during a pre-competition period on power and explosive strength endurance of the lower limbs, stress and recovery in young volleyball athletes. Seven male athletes (15.8 ± 0.5 years, 186.1 ± 6.6 cm, 75.9 ± 1.8 kg) of an Under-16 volleyball team were trained during a pre-competition period of 4 weeks. The internal training load (ITL) was monitored by the session RPE method. The participants performed a countermovement jump test (CMJ) and an intermittent jump test of four sets of 15 seconds (IJT) on the first day of training (baseline) and on the last day of the 2nd (post-week 2) and 4th week (post-week 4). The RESTQ-Sport Questionnaire was applied at baseline and on the last day of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th week (post-weeks 2, 3 and 4). No difference was observed in ITL (p>0.05). CMJ performance increased gradually from baseline to post-week 2 and from post-week 2 to post-week 4 (p<0.05). The average power in the first 15 seconds and average power of the four sets of 15 seconds of the IJT were higher in post-week 4 compared to baseline (p<0.01). Scores on the Fatigue and Injury scales of the RESTQ-Sport changed during training (p<0.05). We conclude that training applied during the pre-competitive period provided increments in CMJ performance and explosive strength endurance, and the changes in the RESTQ-Sport suggest that the athletes had adequate levels of stress and recovery.