Comparison of metabolic profiles of elite male karate athletes with different physical fitness levels during different phases of simulated competitions

The aim of this study was to compare the metabolic profile of elite male karate athletes based on their physical fitness level during different phases of six competitions in one day, similar to real karate competitions.Study

Ten young elite karateka participated in this research. Based on the Z scores obtained from physical fitness tests, including aerobic power (Bruce test), anaerobic power (30 s Wingate test), vertical jump, 30 m sprint, and agility (9×4 m), they were divided into two groups of high (n=5) and low (n=5) physical fitness. Each karateka performed six simulated committee competitions with the same rest interval as official tournaments and according to the rules of the World Federation. Venous blood samples were collected before and after the first and sixth competition. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to investigate differences at p<0.05.

Decreases in pH (p<0.001), increases in tryptophan (p=0.034), lactate (p<0.001), and malondialdehyde (p=0.007), and changes in glucose (p=0.003) were significant in total measured time points. Moreover, by examining time×group interaction, a significant difference was observed between the groups in plasma lactate (p=0.014), so that it was significantly higher after the sixth competition in the low physical fitness group than the other group (5 ± 0.1 vs. 3.9 ± 0.2 mmol/L, p=0.002).

Karate athletes with low physical fitness seem to provide a larger portion of ATP needed during the sixth competition than the first competition from the anaerobic glycolysis pathway and by consuming extracellular carbohydrate sources such as plasma glucose.