2022, Volume 18
Blood lactate concentrations after losing or winning a boxing match in junior athletes
Artur Litwiniuk1, Juris Grants2, Zbigniew Obmiński3
1Faculty of Physical Education and Health, University of Physical Education J. Pilsudski, Biała Podlaska, Poland
2Latvian Academy of Sport Education, Riga, Latvia
3Research Institute, Institute of Sport-National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland
Author for correspondence: Artur Litwiniuk; Faculty of Physical Education and Health, University of Physical Education J. Pilsudski, Biała Podlaska, Poland; email: a.litwiniuk@wp.pl
Full text
Abstract
Bacground and Study Aim: A three-round, refereed boxing bout (3 x 3 min.) with one-minute breaks is an exercise with a high proportion of anaerobic metabolism. Weight category-dependent differences in the concentration of the metabolite studied have been reported (the highest intensity of the fight is in the medium categories). There are few studies of the metabolic response in athletes who won and lost their first or subsequent bouts. There is a lack of publications reporting on the exercise metabolism of both opponents of a fought bout with respect to different weight categories. The aim of this study is to know the post-exercise blood lactate concentrations in pairs of opponents, one of whom wins and the other loses the same three-round fight.
Material and Methods: The study was conducted during the Polish Junior Boxing Championships in different categories: 49kg, n = 4; 52kg- 2; 56kg- 4; 60kg- 4; 64kg- 2; 69kg- 2; 69kg- 2; 75kg- 4; 81kg, 4; 91kg- 4. In the fifth minute after the end of the first fight, capillary blood was collected under aseptic conditions from both fighters from the earlobe using disposable automatic lancets into heparinised glass capillaries, from where the material was transferred directly to the DR-LANGE analyser, GERMANY. A total of 60 athletes were tested (30 who won and 30 who lost bouts). The normal distribution of results in both sub-groups mandated the use of parametric statistical tests.
Results: There was not a single fight interrupted by the ring judge, as none of the fighters tested were knocked out. The mean La concentration expressed in mmol/L (mM) was 12.9 ±3.4 with a range of 7.1 to 21.4 in the winners, and 12.4 ±2.8 with a range of 6.0 to 17.8. There were no significant differences between these averages. A significant correlation coefficient, r = 0.408, was noted between La and body weight in the losers' and winners' groups.
Conclusions: Post-fight lactate (La) concentrations in junior boxers fall within a fairly wide concentration range, which may indicate significant variation in physical activity throughout the fight between the two opponents and differences in their aerobic capacity. There are no differences in mean La between the winners and losers. The positive correlation of La in the blood and body weight of the losing and winning boxers is evidence of a similar intensity of exertion of the two opponents at identical times, so this indicator cannot serve as an argument to explain the reason for the outcome of the boxing fight (losing ÷ winning).
Key words: combat sports, metabolic response, three-round in boxing