The Effect of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in Water and Land on Antioxidant and Inflammatory Factors in Male Squash Players

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of HIIT in water and land on some antioxidant and inflammatory factors in male Squash players. 24 squash players (age: 23.90 ± 4.05, height: 176.46 ± 6.40 cm and weight: 74.80 ± 7.35 kg) who had 3 years of club membership and continuous sport activities were selected purposively and randomly divided into 2 groups: training in water (n=12) and training on land (n=12). HIIT was conducted in water and land with an intensity of 80-90% of maximum heart rate in 8 sets of training and in two 4-minute sessions for one session. In both water and land groups, blood samples were collected before and immediately after HIIT in water and land to measure levels of interleukin 6, reactive protein C, uric acid and total bilirubin. Two independent sample and dependent t tests were used to calculate the results. All results were considered at P≤0.05. The results showed no significant differences between the two groups in the serum level of interleukin 6 (P=0.18), bilirubin (P=0.15) and uric acid (P=0.14), but the difference between the two groups was significant in the case of C-reactive protein (P=0.02). The findings showed that one session of HIIT in water could influence reducing the level of CRP in squash players due to the physical properties of water.