| Summary: | ABSTRACT: Short-duration pre-tournament training (SDPT) is a common training technique used to prepare for major competitive football tournament. There is scarcity of report on the effects of SDPT on the cardiovascular parameters of university footballers in Ghana. This study examined the changes in cardiovascular parameters of a-university footballers due to SDPT. Thirteen male footballers (mean age 21.23 ± 1.73 years) who represented the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in the Ghana University Sports Association's competition in 2016 participated in the study. The players engaged in SDPT of moderate to high intensity training for 2 weeks. Blood pressure, heart rate, fasting plasma glucose, haemoglobin, red blood cells, haematocrit, mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, absolute content of leucocyte, erythrocyte and platelets were measured pre and post training. There were significance decreases in body mass index (P = 0.002), haemoglobin (P = 0.042), haematocrit (P = 0.003) and white blood cells (P = 0.017), while fasting plasma glucose (P = 0.017) and platelets (P = 0.004) increased significantly. SDPT predisposes a-university footballers to acute inflammatory responses. Appropriately designed training duration and intensity would prevent increase in fasting plasma glucose and improve cardiorespiratory performance in university footballers.
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