Abstract:
Participating in different types of exercise is important for the cardiometabolic health of adolescents. Of the different types of exercise, CT and SSSG have been identified as effective ways to enhance the cardiometabolic health of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of concurrent training (CT) and small-sided soccer games (SSSG) on the physiological parameters of untrained, healthy male adolescents. The study used a true experimental pre- and post-study design. 40 untrained, healthy male individuals, with 20 (16.55±1.14 years) randomized to the CT intervention and 20 (16.75±1.07 years) to the SSSG intervention. SSSG and CT groups had an equal total exercise time (40–60 minutes) that included warm-up, cool-down, and main workout for 8 weeks. Resting heart rate, body mass index, resting blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and blood oxygen saturation were measured before and after the 8-week intervention. The data was analyzed using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA). Both interventions showed improvements in resting heart rate (RHR, p<0.05), body mass index (BMI, p<0.05), blood pressure (BP, p<0.05), fasting blood glucose (FBG, p<0.05), and oxygen saturation (SPO2, p<0.05). Compared to the SSSG (small-sided soccer game) group, the CT (concurrent training) group had significantly lower resting heart rate (-3.829 bpm, p<0.05), systolic blood pressure (-1.621 mmHg, p<0.05), diastolic blood pressure (-1.723 mmHg, p<0.05), and fasting blood glucose (-2.384 mg/dL, p<0.05), as well as higher oxygen saturation (+1.352%, p<0.05), while there was no significant difference in body mass index (p>0.05) between the two groups. These findings suggest that the CT intervention was more effective in improving certain physiological parameters, such as resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and blood oxygen saturation, compared to the SSSG training program. However, the two interventions did not have a significant difference in their impact on body mass index. In conclusion, concurrent exercise may offer more comprehensive advantages for an untrained, healthy male adolescent‘s cardiometabolic health compared to small-sided soccer games.