Supervisors info:
Κοσκολού Μαρία, Αναπλ. Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Γελαδάς Νικόλαος, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Τερζής Γεράσιμος, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Επιστήμης Φυσικής Αγωγής και Αθλητισμού, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Summary:
Introduction: Boxing is a popular contact sport dating back to ancient times. Up to date, boxing-related injuries, various training methods and biomechanics have been extensively investigated; however, due to regulation changes, the exercise-related physiological responses reported vary. The purpose of this thesis was to monitor physiological responses during a boxing match simulation protocol, according to the latest regulations, and to compare them with the physiological responses observed during running on a treadmill with the same intensity and duration. Moreover, the fluctuation of blood pressure while boxing and incidence of post-exercise hypotension were investigated for the first time, considering the unique features of this specific sport such as interval exercise and involvement as well as position of the arms.
Methods: Ten male boxers at an intermediate competitive level (age 25.0 ± 6.6 years, body mass 77.5 ± 10.6 kg and height 174.4 ± 6.6 cm) participated in the study. After completing anthropometric measurements and physical fitness evaluation, each participant underwent a valid and reliable boxing protocol which simulated an actual match and included boxing against handheld pads for three 3-min rounds. On a separate occasion, the same participants performed treadmill running at the same duration and intensity, as judged by heart rate monitoring. Heart rate and blood pressure (systolic, diastolic and mean) were recorded at rest, during exercise, between rounds and during recovery. Blood lactate concentration and perceived exertion were measured post-exercise. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed with the level of statistical significance set at a = 0.05.
Results: The participants’ maximal oxygen uptake was 51.0 ± 3.7 mL min-1 kg-1, maximum anaerobic power was 10.1 ± 1.5 W kg-1, leg strength was 187.7 ± 34.4 kg and arm strength was 50.9 ± 5.9 kg and 51.6 ± 6.5 kg, for the right and left arm, respectively. Heart rate was similar in both protocols (p = 0.737) and differed (p < 0.001) among rounds (1st round: 139 ± 9 bpm / 139 ± 8 bpm, 2nd round: 150 ± 11 bpm / 151 ± 10 bpm, 3rd round: 153 ± 11 bpm / 154 ± 9 bpm, for boxing and treadmill protocol respectively), corresponding to 85 ± 5%, 88 ± 4% and 89 ± 4% of HRmax. The increase in systolic blood pressure during exercise compared with resting values (Δ-SBP) was lower in the boxing than in the treadmill protocol (51.6 ± 2.2 mmHg vs 62.1 ± 7.8 mmHg; p = 0.044). In the boxing protocol, post-exercise systolic blood pressure had a strong tendency to be lower compered to resting values in the 20th and 25th min of the recovery (p = 0.063 and p = 0.078, respectively) and exhibited a maximum drop of -11.2 mmHg in the 40th min of the recovery, whereas the concomitant drop after the treadmill protocol was -4.9 mmHg. Perceived exertion did not differ between the two protocols and blood lactate concentration was 6.40 ± 1.71 mmol L-1 in the boxing protocol and 6.27 ± 2.78 mmol L-1 in the treadmill protocol (p = 0.849).
Conclusions: According to the results of the present thesis, systolic blood pressure increases less during a boxing session compared to a treadmill running session performed with the same intensity and duration, possibly due to more rhythmic and uniform motion during running facilitating venous return. The more profound post-exercise hypotension observed in the boxing protocol could be attributed to greater vasodilation in this type of exercise as a result of lower O2 extraction capacity of the arms compared to the legs. It is of note that the degree of post-exercise hypotension in the boxing protocol is of clinical significance, thus paving the way for further study in order to determine whether long-term participation in this sport could prove beneficial for general population’s health through arterial pressure regulation.
Keywords:
Boxing, Running, Blood Pressure, Post-exercise Hypotension, Physiological Responses
