Recovery During Successive 120-min Football Games: Results from the 120-min Placebo/Carbohydrate Randomized Controlled Trial

Georgios Ermidis; Magni Mohr; Athanasios Z Jamurtas; Dimitrios Draganidis; Athanasios Poulios; Konstantinos Papanikolaou; Jeppe Vigh-Larsen; Georgios Loules; Apostolos Sovatzidis; Theofano Nakopoulou; Panagiotis Tsimeas; Ioannis I Douroudos; Constantinos Papadopoulos; Giorgos Papadimas; Anastasia Rosvoglou; Christina Liakou; Chariklia K Deli; Kalliopi Georgakouli; Athanasios Chatzinikolaou; Peter Krustrup; Ioannis G Fatouros

doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003398

Recovery During Successive 120-min Football Games: Results from the 120-min Placebo/Carbohydrate Randomized Controlled Trial

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Jan 31. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003398. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Georgios Ermidis¹, Magni Mohr, Athanasios Z Jamurtas², Dimitrios Draganidis², Athanasios Poulios², Konstantinos Papanikolaou², Jeppe Vigh-Larsen³, Georgios Loules², Apostolos Sovatzidis⁴, Theofano Nakopoulou⁵, Panagiotis Tsimeas², Ioannis I Douroudos⁶, Constantinos Papadopoulos⁷, Giorgos Papadimas⁷, Anastasia Rosvoglou², Christina Liakou², Chariklia K Deli², Kalliopi Georgakouli⁸, Athanasios Chatzinikolaou⁹, Peter Krustrup, Ioannis G Fatouros²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, SDU Sport and Health Sciences Cluster (SHSC), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DENMARK.
² Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Karies, Trikala, GREECE.
³ Department of Public Health, Section of Sport Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DENMARK.
⁴ Department of Surgery, Giannitsa General Hospital, Giannitsa, GREECE.
⁵ Ygia Polyclinic Private Hospital. Limassol, CYPRUS.
⁶ PAS Giannina football club, Ioannina, GREECE.
⁷ First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, GREECE.
⁸ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, Trikala, GREECE.
⁹ Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, GREECE.

PMID: 38306312
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003398

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the recovery kinetics (i.e. time-dependent changes) of performance-related variables between two 120-min male football games performed three days apart with and without carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation.

Methods: 20 male players (20 ± 1 years; body fat: 14.9 ± 5.1%; VO2max: 59.4 ± 3.7 mL•kg-1•min-1) participated in two 120-min football games (G1, G2) according to a randomized, two-trial, repeated measures, cross-over, double-blind design. Participants received carbohydrate/Placebo supplements during recovery between games. Field activity was monitored during the games. Performance testing and blood sampling were performed before, at 90- and 120-min of each game. Muscle biopsies were collected at baseline, 90- and 120-min of G1 and pre-G2.

Results: Compared to G1, G2 was associated with reduced total distance (10,870 vs. 10,685 m during 90-min and 3,327 vs. 3,089 m during extra 30-min; p = 0.007-0.038), average (6.7 vs. 6.2 m•s-1 during extra 30-min match-play; p = 0.007) and maximal speed (32.2 vs. 30.2 m•s-1 during 90-min and 29.0 vs. 27.9 m•s-1 during extra 30-min; p < 0.05), accelerations/decelerations (p < 0.05) and mean HR (p < 0.05). Repeated sprint ability (p < 0.001), jumping (p < 0.05) and strength (p < 0.001) performance were compromised before and during G2. Muscle glycogen was not restored at G2-baseline (p = 0.005). Extended game-play reduced lymphocyte, erythrocyte counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin, reduced glutathione (p < 0.05) and increased DOMS, creatine kinase activity, blood glycerol and ammonia (p < 0.05) and protein carbonyls (p < 0.05) before and during G2. Pax7+ (p = 0.004) and MyoD+ cells (p = 0.019) increased at baseline-G2. Carbohydrate supplementation restored performance and glycogen, reduced glycerol and DOMS responses, and increased leukocyte counts and Pax7+ and MyoD+ cells.

Conclusions: Results suggest that extended football games induce a prolonged recovery of performance which may be facilitated by carbohydrate supplementation during a congested game fixture.