EFFECTS OF TWELVE-WEEK KETTLEBELL TRAINING PROGRAM UPON HEART RATE RECOVERY IN AMATEUR PLAYERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Ismat Ullah; Muhammad Shah; Farooq Hussain

Ismat Ullah Director Sports, Islamabad Model School and College, Islamabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Shah Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education & Sports, AWKUM, Mardan, Pakistan
Farooq Hussain Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education & Sports, AWKUM, Mardan, Pakistan

Keywords: Resistance Training, Kettlebell Training, Heart Rate Recovery, Exercise physiology, Cardiovascular Fitness, Recovery Time, Training Intervention

Abstract

The resistance training demonstrated numerous benefits including increased strength, power, and endurance. The resistance training has been used since ancient times to increase functional abilities, strength, power, and endurance. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of kettlebell training upon heart rate recovery (HRR) in the amateur male athletes aged 18–30 years. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 40 participants from various sports. The participants were divided into an experimental group (kettlebell training) and the control group, each with 20 athletes. The training program lasted 12 weeks, and HRR was measured pre- and post-intervention using Harvard Step Test. The experimental group showed significant improvement in HRR post-training (MD = 9.10, p = 0.014, Cohen’s d = 0.62), whereas control group showed no significant change (p = 0.213). The experimental group confirmed a 10.82% improvement in HRR, compared to only 0.42% in the control group. The results provide significant information in reaching the conclusion as the structured kettlebell training program significantly improves the heart rate recovery in the amateur athletes, suggesting its efficacy as the cardiovascular conditioning modality.