Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Sport Science, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
2
Master of Medical-Surgical nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
3
Master of exercise physiology, Faculty of physical education and sport sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
10.22059/sshr.2024.378153.1149
Abstract
Neuromuscular training (NMT) and supplementation with essential minerals such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn) may enhance muscular reaction time (RT) and electromechanical delay (EMD). However, research on this topic is limited, particularly among taekwondo athletes.
This study evaluated the effects of NMT and Cal-Mg-Zn supplementation on RT and EMD in taekwondo athletes.
Sixty athletes from a single taekwondo club in Tabriz, Iran, were randomly assigned to four groups of fifteen: Control, Ca-Mg-Zn, NMT, and Cal-Mg-Zn + NMT. NMT was conducted in sixty-minute sessions, four times a week, for six consecutive weeks, before the main taekwondo training. RT and EMD were measured using electromyography before the intervention (T1), three weeks after (T2), and six weeks after (T3). Data were analyzed using SPSS with a confidence level greater than 0.95, employing repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests.
No significant differences in RT and EMD were observed among the groups at baseline (P > 0.05). In both post-test assessments, the Cal-Mg-Zn + NMT group exhibited significantly lower RT and EMD than the other groups (P < 0.05).
Neuromuscular training with zinc supplementation can effectively improve reaction time and electromechanical delay, thereby enhancing the athletic performance of taekwondo athletes.
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