Key result
Afternoon training during Ramadan significantly improved 3000-m running times (p<0.01) and time to exhaustion (p<0.001) compared to morning and evening training in endurance athletes.
Why the study?
Does afternoon training during Ramadan improve aerobic capacity compared to morning or evening training in endurance athletes?
RCT (n=24)
Does afternoon training during Ramadan improve aerobic capacity compared to morning or evening training in endurance athletes?
Afternoon training during Ramadan may be more effective than morning or evening training for enhancing aerobic capacity in endurance athletes.
May favor afternoon training for endurance athletes during Ramadan; hypothesis-generating and requires larger confirmatory trials.
We investigated the effect of Ramadan fasting on maximal aerobic velocity (MAV), time to exhaustion (tlim100), performance in running 3000-m in runners who trained at 09:00, 14:00, and 22:00 h. Twenty-four middle- and long-distance runners (28.5 ± 10.6 years) were assigned to 3 groups of 8 participants: an afternoon group (AG) (who trained between 14:00 and 16:00 h), a morning group (MG) (who trained between 09:00 and 11:00 h), and an evening group (EG) (who trained between 22:00 and 24:00 h). Before, at mid-, and after Ramadan, MAV and maximal oxygen uptake () were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the AG and MG groups compared to the EG group. Before and after Ramadan, the times recorded for the 3000-m running exercise were significantly higher (p < 0.01) and tlim100 was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the EG and MG groups compared to the AG groups. In conclusion, afternoon training during Ramadan might be more effective than morning or evening training for the enhancement of aerobic capacity.
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Bouguerra et al. (2017) conducted an RCT in Highly trained endurance athletes (n=24). Afternoon training (14:00-16:00 h) vs. Morning (09:00-11:00 h) and evening (22:00-24:00 h) training was evaluated on Maximal aerobic velocity, time to exhaustion, 3000-m running performance, and maximal oxygen uptake (p=<0.01). Afternoon training during Ramadan significantly improved 3000-m running times (p<0.01) and time to exhaustion (p<0.001) compared to morning and evening training in endurance athletes.
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