Acute effects of high intensity interval training with step aerobics training on cognitive performance in male futsal players

Previous studies have shown that success in sports, especially futsal is linked to higher levels of cognitive functioning. It is widely recognized that short-term, high intensity interval training exercise enhances cognitive function. Nevertheless, the impact of short-term, high-intensity aerobic exercise combined with step aerobics on cognitive function remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the acute effects of sport-specific high-intensity interval training with step aerobics training on cognitive in professional futsal players. Here we assess cognitive performance before and after engagement in a high-intensity interval training with step aerobics exercise (HIITSA) regimen. Fifteen male futsal players aged 18-22 years were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups: (a) an acute high-intensity with step aerobics exercise (n = 8) or (b) a non-exercise control (n = 7). Our findings show that participants in the exercise group demonstrated enhanced performance in cognitive processing tasks (p ≤ .05). In contrast, control participants who did not engage in exercise showed no significant change over time in cognitive performance (p ≤ .05). Additionally, we observed that there was no significant muscle hypertrophy following the HIITSA training over a 4-week period (p ≤ .05). In conclusion, indicate that a brief training period incorporating HIITSA sessions promoted as a time-efficient enhance cognitive performance in elite young futsal players.