Athletic Performance, Exercise Training, Physical Fitness
Conditions
Keywords
Youth athletes, Amateur boxing, High-intensity intermittent training, Punching output, Heart rate recovery
Brief summary
Boxing is an intermittent combat sport that requires repeated high-intensity actions, sustained punching output, and rapid post-exercise recovery. This single-arm field-based study will examine the effects of a nine-session high-intensity intermittent training program on sport-specific punching output, heart-rate responses, and accelerometer-derived movement responses in youth amateur boxers. Participants will complete a standardized boxing-specific test before and after the intervention. The primary outcome will be the total number of punches completed during the test. Secondary outcomes will include round-by-round punching output, heart rate immediately after the test, heart rate one minute after the test, one-minute heart-rate recovery, and the accelerometer-derived sum of absolute acceleration peaks recorded during each round. The study is designed to provide ecologically valid evidence on feasible monitoring strategies for training adaptation in amateur boxing.
Detailed description
This study is a field-based, single-arm pre-post intervention conducted in youth amateur boxers. The intervention consists of nine sessions of high-intensity intermittent training integrated into the athletes' regular boxing preparation. The training approach is designed to reflect the intermittent physiological and technical demands of boxing, emphasizing repeated high-intensity efforts, incomplete recovery, and sport-specific execution under fatigue. Before and after the intervention, participants will perform a standardized boxing-specific test composed of repeated 30-second punching rounds separated by recovery periods. Punching output will be recorded as the number of completed punches per round and as the total number of punches across the test. Heart rate will be measured immediately after the test and again one minute after completion to characterize acute cardiovascular response and early recovery. In addition, smartphone accelerometry using Phyphox will be used as an exploratory secondary monitoring strategy. Accelerometer data will be processed using the absolute acceleration signal, and local acceleration peaks will be identified within each active round using a predefined operational criterion. The primary purpose of the study is to evaluate whether a short high-intensity intermittent boxing-specific training block is associated with changes in sport-specific punching output. Secondary objectives are to describe changes in post-test heart-rate response, one-minute heart-rate recovery, and accelerometer-derived indicators of movement intensity. Given the applied training context and the expected small sample, the study will be interpreted as exploratory and field-based rather than as a definitive efficacy trial.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALNine-session high-intensity intermittent boxing training
The intervention consists of nine supervised training sessions based on high-intensity intermittent boxing-specific exercises. Sessions will be conducted in a real-world amateur boxing training environment and will involve repeated high-intensity efforts, recovery intervals, and technical actions representative of boxing demands. The intervention is not pharmacological and does not involve a medical device.
Sponsors
Federal University of Vicosa
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Masking is not feasible because participants and coaches are aware of the exercise training intervention. Outcome processing will follow predefined operational criteria to reduce analytical discretion.
Intervention model description
All participants will receive the same nine-session high-intensity intermittent boxing training intervention. Outcomes will be compared within participants from baseline to post-intervention.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Youth amateur boxers regularly enrolled in a supervised boxing training program. * Age within the predefined youth/adolescent range established in the protocol. * Regular attendance to boxing training before the beginning of the intervention. * Ability to complete the standardized boxing-specific test at baseline and post-intervention. * Medical, coaching, or institutional clearance to participate in regular boxing training. * Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian. * Written or verbal assent from the athlete, according to institutional ethics requirements.
Exclusion criteria
* Current musculoskeletal injury or pain limiting boxing training or testing. * Known cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or metabolic condition contraindicating high-intensity exercise. * Use of medication or substances that may substantially alter heart-rate response, unless medically authorized and documented. * Inability to complete baseline or post-intervention testing. * Participation in another structured training intervention likely to interfere with the study outcomes. * Withdrawal of parental consent or participant assent at any point.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in total punching output during the boxing-specific test | Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session | Total number of punches completed across all active rounds of the standardized boxing-specific test. Punches will be counted during each active round and summed to obtain total punching output. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in round-by-round punching output | Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session | Number of punches completed during each active round of the standardized boxing-specific test. This outcome will be used to describe within-test performance maintenance or decline across rounds. |
| Change in heart rate immediately after the boxing-specific test | Immediately after the test at baseline and immediately after the test post-intervention | Heart rate recorded immediately after completion of the standardized boxing-specific test. This outcome will be used to characterize the acute cardiovascular response to the test. |
| Change in heart rate one minute after the boxing-specific test | One minute after the test at baseline and one minute after the test post-intervention | Heart rate recorded one minute after completion of the standardized boxing-specific test. This outcome will be used to characterize early post-exercise recovery. |
| Change in one-minute heart-rate recovery | Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session | Heart-rate recovery will be calculated as the difference between heart rate immediately after the test and heart rate one minute after the test. Higher values indicate a larger reduction in heart rate during the first minute of recovery. |
| Change in accelerometer-derived sum of absolute acceleration peaks per round | Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session | Exploratory accelerometer-derived outcome calculated from the Phyphox absolute acceleration signal during each active round. Local peaks will be identified in the "Absolute acceleration (m/s²)" column using a predefined operational criterion: local maximum ≥4 m/s², with a minimum separation of 0.20 seconds between peaks. The sum of detected peak values will be calculated for each round. Rest intervals will be excluded from analysis. |
| Change in total accelerometer-derived sum of absolute acceleration peaks | Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session | Total accelerometer-derived response calculated as the sum of absolute acceleration peak values across all active rounds of the standardized boxing-specific test. This variable will be treated as an exploratory secondary indicator of movement intensity and external mechanical response during the test. |
Countries
Colombia
Outcome results
None listed