Introduction

The physiological demands of a judo match strain both

anaerobic and aerobic systems [1,2]. Judo is a combat sport
characterized by sudden, explosive attacks and counterat-
tacks, which are executed repeatedly for a duration of up to 8
minutes, depending on the scores obtained by the contest-
ants [3,4]. Judo matches consist of brief repeated bouts of
supramaximal and maximal intensity, and the majority of
energy required for this type of exercise is provided through
anaerobic alactic system and glycogenolysis ending in lactate
formation [5]. On the other hand, the maintenance of the inter-
mittent work performed during the match, as well as the
recovery process during the short intervals between matches,
are mainly supported by aerobic metabolism [6]. Degoutte et
al. [7] established that a judo match led to a rise in levels of
plasma free fatty acids, despite a high concentration of lactate
(12.3 mmol/l), therefore it appears that muscle glycogen is not
the only substrate used during such effort. From a metabolic
point of view, judo is considered to be a mixed, aerobic and
anaerobic sport [8]. Thus, the judo athletes must achieve a
high level of physical fitness and condition to be successful in
international competitions [3].
Preparatory training periods are held to improve athletes
performance, especially aerobic capacity, and consist not
only of common activities for strength, power, and endurance
but are also supplemented by sport-specific exercises with
technical and tactical elements [9].
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect
of five weeks of training in a preparatory period on anaerobic
and aerobic performance of well trained male judokas.
Material and methods
The subject of the present study were nine male judo ath-
letes, members of a collegiate team, who volunteered for the
study. A detailed description of the study as well as an expla-
nation of the risks and benefits of participation was provided;
all subjects were familiar with the exercise protocol, were fully
informed about multiple capillary blood sampling, and all gave
11
Effect of five-week preparatory training period
on aerobic and anaerobic performance
of male judo athletes
Wojciech Borowiak, Henryk Norkowski, Micha Woniak, Anna Kska, Joanna Tkaczyk
Faculty of Physical Education, Pilsudski University of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland
Key words: judo, exercise, Wingate test
Summary
Introduction. The physiological demands of a judo match strain both anaerobic and aerobic systems. The purpose of the
present study was to examine the effect of five weeks of training during a preparatory period on anaerobic and aerobic perform-
ance of well trained male judokas.
Material and methods. The subject of the present study were nine male judo athletes, members of a collegiate team. Before
and after five-week training, all participants performed a graded exercise test on the treadmill for the determination of anaerobic
threshold and the 30 s Wingate test for lower body. After each workload, the capillary blood from finger tips was taken for lactate
determination during incremental exercise and 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 30 minutes after cessation of the 30 s Wingate test.
Results. Five-week training period resulted in statistically significant increase of velocity at anaerobic threshold (VAT), deter-
mined in a graded exercise test. The peak power, in terms of relative (W/kg) values, measured in the Wingate test for lower body,
was similar before and after the five-week training period, however the relative mean power was significantly higher after this
training period finished. The blood lactate concentration, 30 minutes after cessation of the Wingate test, was significantly lower
after the five weeks of training in comparison with the values before training.
Conclusions. The obtained data shows that the five-week preparatory training period resulted in the increase of aerobic fit-
ness of male judo athletes. The results of the current study in well trained male judokas may provide useful information for coach-
es and trainers in optimizing training programs.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Journal of Combat Sports and Martial Arts
MEDSPORTPRESS, 2012; 1(2); Vol. 3, 11-14
113 Borowiak1:Layout 1 2012-12-21 14:39 Strona 1
their written consent, in accordance with and with prior ap pro -
val of the Ethics Committee of the University of Physical
Education, in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration. Their
physical characteristics are given in Table 1.
The athletes reported to the laboratory in the morning,
after a standardized breakfast consumed 2 hours before the
start of exercise. Initially, the height and body mass of sub-
jects were measured using standard techniques, then the
percentage of body fat was estimated using the method given
by Durnin et al. [10], by measuring the skinfold thickness at
the biceps, triceps, suprailiac, and subscapular sites with a
Harpender caliper. Two measurements were made at each
site and the mean was used for the assessment of the per-
centage of body fat. The measurements were taken on the
left site of the body with the subjects in standing position.
Training in the preparatory period lasted for five weeks
and it was divided into two phases, which differed in volume
and intensity of exercises (Table 2). This training period in -
cluded low intensity exercises (continuous runs, tactical and
technical skills, uchi-komi in place, jaku-soku-geiko in motion,
and strength training), moderate intensity exercises (runs and
forced marches in mountains, tactical and technical skills with
set pace, uchi-komi, randori, and sute-geiko), and high inten-
sity exercises (sprint runs 60, 100 and 300 m, sparring fights,
circuit training, and uchi-komi). Levels of exercise intensity were
based on the heart rate reaction [9].
Before and after five-week training, all participants per-
formed a graded exercise test on the treadmill (Saturn, H-P-
Cosmos, Germany) for the determination of anaerobic thresh-
old and the 30 s Wingate test. Velocity of the treadmill started
at 8 km/h. The running velocity was increased every 3 minutes
by 2 km/h at 0 degrees incline until the athlete reached volition-
al exhaustion. At the end of every workload, the capillary
blood was taken from the finger tip to measure the lactate
(LA) concentration. The anaerobic threshold (AT) is defined
as the running velocity associated with 4 mmol/l blood lactate
concentration during incremental exercise test [11]. The heart
rate was monitored throughout the exercise duration using a
polar telemetric monitor (Polar Vantage NV, Finland).
The Wingate test was performed after standardized warm-
up (5 minutes leg cycling at a self-directed pace against zero
resistance). On verbal command, the athletes started the exer-
cise. Leg cycling was performed using a mechanically-braked
Monark 834 ergometer (Sweden), with the resistance of 7.5%
of body mass. The total number of revolutions performed dur-
ing the 30 s interval and the single revolution time were meas-
ured using an electromagnetic gauge, and the power was cal-
culated using a computerized MCE system, version 4.5 (Po -
land). The peak power (Pmax) was computed from the highest
power output registered during a 0.01 s interval and the mean
power (Pmean) was defined as the average power generated
during the 30 s interval. The capillary blood from finger tips
was taken for lactate determination after each workload dur-
ing incremental exercise and 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 30 minutes
after cessation of the 30 s Wingate test. The lactate concen-
tration was assessed using a Dr Lange analyser calibrated
with 4 and 10 mmol/l lactate standard solutions.
Data were reported as mean values and standard devia-
tion (x SD), and conventional descriptive statistical methods
were used. Normal distribution was analyzed using the Sha -
piro-Wilk test. The significance of differences between partic-
ular pairs of means was estimated using the two-way vari-
ance analysis ANOVA and Tuckeys post hoc test. the signifi-
cant levels were established at p<0.05.
Results
The data in Table 3 show that the five-week training peri-
od resulted in statistically significant increase in velocity at the
anaerobic threshold (VAT) determined in a graded exercise
test, while the anaerobic threshold heart rates (HRAT) were
similar before and after training.
Borowiak W. et al., Training of male judo athletes
12
Table 1. Physical characteristics of judokas before and after five-week training (mean SD)
Table 2. Five-week training characteristics
113 Borowiak1:Layout 1 2012-12-21 14:39 Strona 2
The peak power, in terms of relative (W/kg) values, meas-
ured in the Wingate test for lower body was similar before and
after five-week training, however the relative mean power was
significantly higher after this training period finished (Table 4).
As follows from the current study, the blood lactate concentra-
tion 30 minutes after cessation of the Wingate test was signifi-
cantly lower after five-week training in comparison with values
before this training period. The maximal blood lactate concen-
tration, both before and after training, was reached at nine min-
utes after completion of the 30 s exercise test, but there were
no significant differences between these values.
Discussion
This study examined changes in anaerobic and aerobic
performance of well trained male judo athletes during the five-
week preparatory period, in order to acquire knowledge about
their adaptation to training. However, test protocols (graded
exercise, Wingate test) do not reflect exactly the intermittent
character of a judo match.
It is well known that judo athletes with low fat percent de -
monstrate higher performance [12,13]. Callister et al. [14]
reported that more successful male athletes had lower body
fat than non-successful ones. As seen in Table 1, the body fat
percentage of judo contestants before and after five-week
training was 14.6% and 14.2%, respectively, and it was simi-
lar to the level determined by Koral et al. [15] in national and
international judo athletes (13.7%), but higher than in high
level Canadian senior judokas (10.4%) [16], and lower than in
Italian senior judo contestants (17.4%) [17].
It was established that the anaerobic threshold (AT) is
a better index of aerobic work capacity than the maximal oxy-
gen uptake (VO2max), especially in well trained athletes [18].
In the present study, velocity at AT both before (10.6 km/h)
and after five-week training (12.2 km/h) was similar or higher
compared with data reported by other authors [3, 6]. Franchini
et al. [19], when studying elite judo athletes, determined that
the threshold velocity was 10.8 km/h. There is no available
data showing how the threshold velocity of male judo athletes
changed in effect of training during the preparatory period. As
showed by data obtained in the current study, five-week train-
ing resulted in the increase of aerobic capacity, which means
that it caused adaptive changes facilitating better oxygen uti-
lization in re-synthesis processes ATP.
Kim et al.[2] established that in South Korean male ju -
dokas from the national team the peak and mean power of
legs in the Wingate test was 14.7 and 8.8 W/kg, respectively.
A lower peak power (12.4 W/kg) was achieved by male
judokas from Polish national team [5] and Italian male ath-
letes (12.4 W/kg) [21]. Zupan et al. [22], studying 457 athletes
in sports which require short bursts of peak power and a high
anaerobic capacity during competition, proposed a classifica-
tion of peak and mean power based on the Wingate test.
According to this classification, the competitors in the current
study are in the below average category (10.96-11.64 W/kg)
for the peak power, and in the average category for the mean
power (8.02-8.90 W/kg).
It is well known, that the lactate accumulation is associat-
ed with a performance decrease, and hence lactate removal
after high intensity effort seems to be important for improving
the subsequent performance [23]. Judo athletes must fre-
quently compete in several combats on the same day, so the
athlete who is able to remove the lactate faster will begin the
next match with a greater chance to reach high performance
[23]. A judo match induces high blood lactate accumulation,
indicating imbalance between lactate production and its re -
moval and utilization [24]. It is believed that training elicits an
increase of the lactate transport from muscles to blood and its
Borowiak W. et al., Training of male judo athletes
13
Table 3. Velocity and heart rate at the anaerobic threshold before and after five-week training (mean SD)
Table 4. The peak and mean power in 30 s leg cycling, and the blood lactate concentration during 30 min recovery before and after
five-week training (mean SD)
113 Borowiak1:Layout 1 2012-12-21 14:39 Strona 3
utilization from blood, mainly through its oxidation in muscles
[25]. As follows from the current study, the blood lactate con-
centration after cessation of the 30 s Wingate test was signifi-
cantly higher after 30 min recovery before five-week training
than at the end of this period. This suggest that, with better aer-
obic fitness, judo athletes recovery from high intensity exercise
was enhanced through improved lactate removal [26].
Conclusions
1. The obtained data showed that five-week training in the
preparatory period, divided in two phases differing in vol-
ume and intensity of exercise, resulted in the increase of
aerobic fitness of male judo athletes. This is in accor-
dance with theoretical foundations of training, which
assume that a preparatory period develops a high level of
physical conditioning to facilitate future training.
2. The results of current study of well trained male judokas
may provide useful information for coaches and trainers
in optimizing training programs.
Borowiak W. et al., Training of male judo athletes
14
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This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Higher Education (grant No. DS-162 (Task 3) from the Pilsudski University
of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland).
Address for correspondence:
Wojciech Borowiak
Faculty of Physical Education, Pilsudski University of Physical Education
Marymoncka 34, 00-968 Warszawa, Poland
phone: (+48) 834-04-31, e-mail: w-borowiak@o2.pl
Received: 24.05.2012
Accepted: 10.07.2012
113 Borowiak1:Layout 1 2012-12-21 14:39 Strona 4
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