Effects of a 10-Week High-Intensity Interval Training Programme on Biochemical and Hormonal Responses in Elite Female Futsal Players

August 19, 2026 updated by: Shimal Hamza Hamad, Soran University

Temporal Dynamics of Biochemical and Hormonal Responses to Interval Training in Elite Female Futsal Players: A 10-Week Longitudinal Analysis Across Menstrual Cycle Phases

This study aims to investigate the biochemical, hormonal, and physiological adaptations to a 10-week periodized high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programme in elite female futsal players. The study will examine changes in aerobic fitness, blood lactate kinetics, muscle damage biomarkers, inflammatory markers, and reproductive hormones throughout the intervention. In addition, the influence of menstrual cycle phases on these physiological responses will be evaluated to improve understanding of sex-specific training adaptations and recovery. The findings are expected to contribute to evidence-based, individualized training and recovery strategies for female futsal athletes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Female futsal is a high-intensity intermittent team sport requiring substantial aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Despite increasing participation of women in competitive sports, limited evidence exists regarding the biochemical and hormonal adaptations to structured interval training, particularly across different menstrual cycle phases. This prospective longitudinal study will recruit 32 elite female futsal players who will participate in a supervised 10-week periodized HIIT programme consisting of lactate threshold training, anaerobic intensification, and sport-specific interval training. Physiological assessments will include VO₂max, lactate threshold, blood lactate kinetics, creatine kinase, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, cortisol, and reproductive hormones. Menstrual cycle phases will be monitored using validated menstrual tracking methods and hormonal confirmation. Outcomes will be assessed repeatedly throughout the intervention to determine temporal adaptations and the influence of menstrual cycle phase on training responses and recovery. The results are expected to support individualized, evidence-based training prescription for female athletes.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
32

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Iraq
    • Erbil Governorate
      • Soran, Erbil Governorate, Iraq, 44008
        • Soran Univeristy

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female futsal players aged 18-30 years.
  • Regular menstrual cycles.
  • Participants willing to complete all scheduled testing sessions across the study period.
  • Participants able to safely participate in the prescribed physical-performance testing and training programme.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Irregular menstrual cycles or diagnosed menstrual disorders.
  • Use of hormonal contraceptives or hormone therapy within the past 6 months.
  • Current musculoskeletal injury or any medical condition affecting physical performance.
  • Use of medications known to influence menstrual function, hormonal responses, or physical performance.
  • Use of performance-enhancing drugs or medications known to influence hormonal or biochemical responses.
  • History of endocrine, cardiovascular, or metabolic disorders.
  • Failure to complete all scheduled testing sessions.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Female Futsal Players
Female futsal players will undergo repeated standardized performance testing during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Assessments include agility, sprint speed, repeated sprint ability, explosive power, balance, and aerobic fitness. All participants receive the same testing protocol, and no therapeutic intervention is administered.
Behavioral: Repeated Futsal Performance Testing Across Menstrual Cycle Phases Intervention Description Participants will undergo standardized futsal-specific performance assessments during different phases of the
Female futsal players will undergo standardized physical performance testing during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Assessments include agility, sprint speed, repeated sprint ability, explosive power, balance, and aerobic fitness. The study involves repeated performance assessments only, and no drug, device, surgical procedure, or therapeutic intervention will be administered.
Other Names:
  • Futsal Performance Testing

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean Change from Baseline in Maximum Oxygen Uptake (VO₂max)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 10
Maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) measured during a graded incremental treadmill exercise test with respiratory gas analysis. Unit of Measure: mL·kg-¹·min-¹.
Baseline and Week 10
Mean Change from Baseline in Velocity at VO₂max (vVO₂max)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 10
Velocity at VO₂max (vVO₂max) measured during a graded incremental treadmill exercise test. Unit of Measure: km/h.
Baseline and Week 10
Mean Change from Baseline in Lactate Threshold Velocity
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 10
Lactate threshold velocity determined during incremental exercise testing. Lactate threshold velocity is defined as the running velocity corresponding to the lactate threshold. Unit of measure: km/h. Higher values indicate improved aerobic endurance.
Baseline and Week 10
Mean Change from Baseline in Resting Blood Lactate Concentration
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 10
Resting blood lactate concentration measured from venous blood samples collected under standardized resting conditions before exercise. Unit of Measure: mmol/L. Lower concentrations indicate improved metabolic efficiency.
Baseline and Week 10
Mean Change from Baseline in Lactate Clearance Rate
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 10
Lactate clearance rate calculated as the rate of decline in blood lactate concentration from serial post-exercise measurements obtained during standardized recovery. The calculated clearance rate is reported as one value in mmol/L/min. Higher clearance rates indicate improved metabolic recovery.
Baseline and Week 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Serum Creatine Kinase (CK) Concentration at Predefined Recovery Time Points
Time Frame: Baseline; immediately post-exercise; 24 hours; 48 hours; and 72 hours
Serum creatine kinase concentration measured at baseline and predefined post-exercise recovery time points. Repeated CK concentrations are evaluated across the predefined sampling time points. Unit of Measure: U/L.
Baseline; immediately post-exercise; 24 hours; 48 hours; and 72 hours
Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
Time Frame: Baseline; immediately post-exercise; and recovery period
Serum interleukin-6 concentration measured as an indicator of exercise-induced inflammatory response. Unit of Measure: pg/mL. Lower resting concentrations and appropriate acute exercise responses indicate improved inflammatory regulation.
Baseline; immediately post-exercise; and recovery period
Serum Cortisol
Time Frame: Baseline; menstrual phase-specific assessments; and Week 10
Serum cortisol concentration measured to evaluate physiological stress responses associated with high-intensity interval training. Unit of Measure: µg/dL.
Baseline; menstrual phase-specific assessments; and Week 10
Serum Estradiol
Time Frame: Phase-specific assessments during the intervention
Serum estradiol concentration measured to characterize hormonal status during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Unit of Measure: pg/mL.
Phase-specific assessments during the intervention
Serum Progesterone
Time Frame: Phase-specific assessments during the intervention
Serum progesterone concentration measured to confirm menstrual cycle phase and evaluate hormonal responses during the intervention. Unit of Measure: ng/mL.
Phase-specific assessments during the intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Creatine Kinase (CK) Recovery Half-Life
Time Frame: Immediately post-exercise through 72 hours
Time required for serum creatine kinase concentration to decrease by 50% during the post-exercise recovery period. Unit of Measure: hours.
Immediately post-exercise through 72 hours
Area Under the Concentration-Time Curve of Serum Creatine Kinase (CK)
Time Frame: Immediately post-exercise through 72 hours
Area under the serum creatine kinase concentration-time curve calculated from serum CK concentrations measured during the post-exercise recovery period. Unit of Measure: U/L·h.
Immediately post-exercise through 72 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Soran University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 31, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • SORANU-HIIT-2026-001
  • Ethics Approval Number (Other Identifier: Soran University Institutional Review Board)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

A decision regarding sharing de-identified individual participant data collected in this study has not yet been finalized. If data sharing is approved, only de-identified data may be considered for sharing after study completion, subject to institutional policies, ethical requirements, participant confidentiality, and applicable data-protection requirements.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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