Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2018.020706

Assessing performance in pre-season wrestling athletes using biomarkers

Ionas Papassotiriou ; School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
Artemissia-Phoebe Nifli ; Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece; Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece; Biotechnology, Technological Research Center of Thessaly, Larissa,

Abstract

Introduction: Although regular training introduces the desired changes in athletes’ metabolism towards optimal final performance, literature is
rarely focusing on the metabolic responses off-competition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate biochemical indices during typical preseason
training in wrestling athletes.
Materials and methods: Twenty male freestyle and Greco-roman wrestlers (14 to 31 years) followed a typical session of the preparatory phase.
Capillary blood glucose and lactate concentrations were assessed immediately before and after training. Protein, microalbumin, creatinine and their
ratio were estimated the next day in the first morning urine.
Results: Pre-training lactate concentrations were lower in Greco-roman than in freestyle wrestlers (1.8 (1.4 – 2.1) vs. 2.9 (2.1 – 3.1) mmol/L). Exertion
resulted in a significant increase in lactate concentrations, by 3.2 (2.6 – 4.1) mmol/L in Greco-roman wrestlers and 4.5 (3.4 – 5.3) mmol/L in freestylers.
These changes were found to correlate with athlete’s sport experience (rs = 0.71, P < 0.001). Glucose concentrations were also significantly
increased by 0.5 (0.1 – 0.8) mmol/L, in correlation with lactate change (rs = 0.49, P = 0.003). Twelve subjects exhibited urine albumin concentrations
at 30 mg/L, and thirteen creatinine concentrations around 17.7 mmol/L. The corresponding ratio was found abnormal in 4 cases, especially when
creatinine excretion and body fat were low.
Conclusions: Wrestling training is associated with mobilization of both lactic and alactic anaerobic energy systems. The regular comprehensive
monitoring of biochemical markers would be advantageous in determining the efficiency of the preparatory phase and the long-term physiological
adaptations towards the competition phase, or athlete’s overtraining.

Keywords

exercise; glucose; lactic acid; creatinine; body composition

Hrčak ID:

198999

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/198999

Publication date:

15.6.2018.

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