EFFECT OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON POWER AND SPEED DURING THE PREPARATION PERIOD IN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

Aim. The current study sought to investigate the influence of various creatine supplementation (CrS) dosages on muscular power and speed performance in elite athletes throughout the preparation period. Materials and methods. This study was conducted on 24 professional football players (age – 23.5 ± 3.8 years; weight – 72.4 ± 6.2 kg; height – 172 ± 5.2 cm) in a course of 30 days. Twelve football players (Egr) received 15 gr/d of creatine monohydrate in the first 10 days, 10 gr/d in the second 10 days, and 5 gr/d in the third 10 days. We also conducted a placebo-controlled parallel-group study (Cogr) inclu­ding twelve (12) football players. The tests were performed several times: at the beginning of the experiment and each 10-day period. Tests included 20 m sprint, medicine ball throw, long and triple jumps. The two groups’ differences in the study parameters were assessed using the t-test, and the impact of the CrS dosage was investigated using a factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results. The results revealed that CrS significantly impact results of 20 m sprint and the medicine ball throw test in all 3 periods (10, 20 and 30 days), although effect size (ɳ²) was between 44.59 to 80.28 % (p < 0.01). CrS did not affect significantly the long and triple jump tests, the effect size (ɳ²) was between 2.58 to 22.08 % (p > 0.05). Conclusion. In conclusion, the reduction of CrS dosage does not affect significantly the effect size of the study parameters. CrS leads to significant improvement in speed of running and muscle power of football players, and it may be used to support the pre-season training.