Exercise-Induced Fatigue, Football Performance
Conditions
Keywords
molecular hydrogen, external load, recovery, antifatigue, muscle pain
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether drinking hydrogen-rich water can reduce fatigue and help football players maintain high-intensity physical activity during an official football match. The study will include 30 male football players competing in the second and third tiers of the Czech national football league system. Participants will be randomly assigned to drink either hydrogen-rich water or placebo water. Neither the players nor the researchers conducting the assessments will know which type of water each participant receives until the study has been completed. Participants will begin drinking the assigned water 72 hours before the match and will continue drinking it on match day. Players' physical activity and heart rate will be monitored throughout the match. The main outcome will be the distance covered at high intensity during consecutive 5-minute periods of the match. Repeated-sprint ability, jumping performance, and perceived muscle soreness will also be assessed before and after the match. The study will compare the hydrogen-rich water and placebo groups to determine whether hydrogen-rich water helps players maintain high-intensity activity during the match and reduces short-term fatigue after the match.
Detailed description
Fatigue during football match play may reduce players' ability to maintain high-intensity activity, particularly following demanding periods of play and during the later stages of a match. The mechanisms contributing to fatigue are multifactorial and include metabolic, neuromuscular, and perceptual factors. Exercise-induced changes in redox homeostasis may also contribute to impaired skeletal muscle function during strenuous exercise. Molecular hydrogen has been investigated as a potential strategy for supporting exercise performance and recovery because of its proposed effects on redox homeostasis, inflammatory pathways, and mitochondrial function. Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) provides a practical method of molecular hydrogen administration. Previous studies have reported potential effects of HRW on exercise-related outcomes, including blood lactate responses, perceived exertion, muscle soreness, and the maintenance of performance during repeated high-intensity exercise. However, evidence remains inconsistent, and it is currently unclear whether these effects translate to competitive football match play. This study will therefore investigate whether HRW consumption influences the development of transient fatigue during an official football match. Particular attention will be given to changes in high-intensity running activity throughout the match. Continuous monitoring will allow match activity to be examined in consecutive 5-minute periods and between the first and second halves. This approach is intended to determine whether the temporal pattern of high-intensity activity differs between players receiving HRW and those receiving placebo. In addition to match running performance, internal load and acute post-match fatigue will be evaluated. Heart rate responses will be monitored throughout the match, while repeated-sprint ability, countermovement jump performance, and perceived lower-limb muscle soreness will be assessed before and immediately after match play. Together, these measures will provide complementary information about external load, internal load, and acute neuromuscular and perceptual responses to competitive match play. The study is intended to determine whether the effects of molecular hydrogen previously observed under controlled exercise conditions are also evident under the complex physiological and contextual demands of an official football match.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTHydrogen-Rich Water (HRW)
Hydrogen-rich water containing 1.2-1.4 ppm dissolved molecular hydrogen (H₂), supplied in gas-tight 420-mL plastic-aluminium packs. Participants will consume 1,260 mL at 72, 48, and 24 hours before the official football match, 840 mL after the pre-match warm-up, and 420 mL during the first half of the match, corresponding to a total intervention volume of 5,040 mL per participant.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo Water
Placebo water containing no dissolved molecular hydrogen (0.0 ppm), supplied in visually identical 420-mL plastic-aluminium packs. The placebo will be administered according to the same volume and timing schedule as the hydrogen-rich water intervention, corresponding to a total intervention volume of 5,040 mL per participant.
Sponsors
Palacky University
University of Split
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Coaches and the statistician performing the primary analysis will also be masked to treatment allocation. The allocation code will be held exclusively by the manufacturer and will not be disclosed until the database has been finalised and the primary statistical analysis has been completed.
Intervention model description
Participants are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either hydrogen-rich water or placebo in two parallel groups.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Male football players aged 18 years or older. * Currently competing in the second or third tier of the Czech national football league system. * At least 15 years of football experience. * Participation in at least four team training sessions per week in addition to regular competitive matches. * Free from injury or other medical conditions that could limit participation in training, testing, or match play. * Willing and able to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* Illness during the three weeks preceding the baseline assessment. * Injury during the three weeks preceding the baseline assessment. * Any injury or medical condition that could limit participation in training, testing, or match play.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| High-Intensity Distance During Match Play | During the official football match (consecutive 5-minute intervals, up to 90 minutes) | High-intensity distance (HID), defined as the distance covered at running speeds \>14.4 km·h-¹, will be measured continuously during an official football match using a 10-Hz global positioning system (GPS; Vector S7, Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia). HID will be quantified in metres for consecutive 5-minute intervals throughout match play. The temporal pattern of HID will be compared between the hydrogen-rich water and placebo groups. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total Distance During Match Play | During the official football match (consecutive 5-minute intervals, up to 90 minutes) | Total distance (TD), expressed in metres, will be measured continuously using a 10-Hz GPS system and quantified in consecutive 5-minute intervals throughout the official football match. |
| PlayerLoad During Match Play | During the official football match (consecutive 5-minute intervals, up to 90 minutes) | PlayerLoad will be measured continuously using the triaxial accelerometer integrated within the Catapult Vector S7 system and quantified in consecutive 5-minute intervals throughout match play. |
| Top Speed During Match Play | During the official football match (up to 90 minutes) | Top speed, expressed in km·h-¹, will be determined using the 10-Hz GPS system during the official football match. |
| Heart Rate During Match Play | During the official football match (consecutive 5-minute intervals, up to 90 minutes) | Heart rate will be recorded continuously and expressed relative to each participant's individual peak heart rate (HRpeak). Heart rate responses will be evaluated in consecutive 5-minute intervals. |
| Repeated-Sprint Ability | Pre-match and immediately post-match | Repeated-sprint ability will be assessed using five 20-m sprints starting every 20 seconds. Performance will be expressed as total sprint time (sum of the five sprints). Acute match-induced fatigue will be evaluated as the pre- to post-match change in total sprint time. |
| Countermovement Jump Performance | Pre-match and immediately post-match | Countermovement jump performance will be assessed using an OptoJump system. Acute match-induced neuromuscular fatigue will be evaluated as the pre- to post-match change in jump performance. |
Contacts
CONTACTKarel Hulka, PhD
Outcome results
None listed