Influence of CrossFit-based training on the functional state of former elite athletes: evidence from sambo and judo

Background: and Study

Aim: . Former elite athletes often retain a high level of motor experience, technical coordination and psychological readiness for physical effort. However, after the end of a professional sport career, many of them experience reduced aerobic capacity, increased body mass, lower muscular endurance, slower recovery and decreased motivation for systematic training. These changes are especially relevant for former sambo and judo athletes because both sports require a complex combination of strength, power, anaerobic capacity, aerobic recovery, coordination, grip endurance and postural stability. CrossFit-based high-intensity functional training may be a suitable

Method: for this population because it combines resistance exercises, metabolic conditioning and functional movements in a scalable format. The study aimed to determine the influence of an eight-week CrossFit-based training methodology on the functional state of former highly qualified sambo and judo athletes. Material and

Methods: . A pedagogical experiment was designed with former elite combat sport athletes aged 28–42 years. The pilot model included 24 men: 12 former sambo athletes and 12 former judo athletes. All participants had previous national or international competitive experience and had stopped regular professional training for at least two years. The proposed CrossFit-based programme lasted eight weeks and included three sessions per week. Each session consisted of mobility preparation, technical strength work, a scaled metabolic conditioning block and recovery exercises. Functional state was assessed before and after the intervention using resting heart rate, estimated VO2max, Harvard Step Test index, handgrip strength, 30-second push-up test, plank hold, body mass index, body fat percentage and heart rate recovery after standardized load. Paired t-tests were used for pre–post comparisons, and

Significance: was accepted at p<0.05.

Results: . The model data showed positive changes in all main indicators after the eight-week programme. Resting heart rate decreased from 74.6±5.8 to 68.1±5.1 beats·min^-1 (p=0.001). Estimated VO2max increased from 41.8±4.7 to 46.9±4.9 ml·kg^-1·min^-1 (p=0.001). The Harvard Step Test index improved from 77.3±8.4 to 86.5±7.6 points (p=0.002). Heart rate recovery improved from 31.4±7.2 to 39.8±6.9 beats within the first minute (p=0.001). Muscular endurance also improved: push-ups increased from 32.1±7.8 to 40.6±8.3 repetitions (p=0.001), and plank hold increased from 93.5±28.4 to 128.7±31.2 seconds (p=0.001). Body fat percentage decreased from 22.4±3.8 to 20.1±3.5% (p=0.004).

Conclusions: . The developed CrossFit-based methodology may be considered an effective and practical approach for improving the functional state of former highly qualified sambo and judo athletes. Its scientific novelty lies in the adaptation of high-intensity functional training to the needs of former combat sport athletes through load scaling, joint protection, grip-strength maintenance, heart rate control and staged recovery. The programme may be recommended for further controlled studies with larger samples and long-term follow-up.