High-Intensity Intermittent Training and Sport-Specific Performance in Youth Amateur Boxers (BOX-HIIT)

Effects of Nine Sessions of High-Intensity Intermittent Training on Punching Output, Heart-Rate Recovery, and Accelerometer-Derived Responses in Youth Amateur Boxers: A Single-Arm Field-Based Study

Boxing is an intermittent combat sport that requires repeated high-intensity actions, sustained punching output, and rapid post-exercise recovery. This single-arm field-based study will examine the effects of a nine-session high-intensity intermittent training program on sport-specific punching output, heart-rate responses, and accelerometer-derived movement responses in youth amateur boxers. Participants will complete a standardized boxing-specific test before and after the intervention. The primary outcome will be the total number of punches completed during the test. Secondary outcomes will include round-by-round punching output, heart rate immediately after the test, heart rate one minute after the test, one-minute heart-rate recovery, and the accelerometer-derived sum of absolute acceleration peaks recorded during each round. The study is designed to provide ecologically valid evidence on feasible monitoring strategies for training adaptation in amateur boxing.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Exercise Training; Athletic Performance; Physical Fitness
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Nine-session high-intensity intermittent boxing training

Detailed Description

This study is a field-based, single-arm pre-post intervention conducted in youth amateur boxers. The intervention consists of nine sessions of high-intensity intermittent training integrated into the athletes' regular boxing preparation. The training approach is designed to reflect the intermittent physiological and technical demands of boxing, emphasizing repeated high-intensity efforts, incomplete recovery, and sport-specific execution under fatigue.

Before and after the intervention, participants will perform a standardized boxing-specific test composed of repeated 30-second punching rounds separated by recovery periods. Punching output will be recorded as the number of completed punches per round and as the total number of punches across the test. Heart rate will be measured immediately after the test and again one minute after completion to characterize acute cardiovascular response and early recovery. In addition, smartphone accelerometry using Phyphox will be used as an exploratory secondary monitoring strategy. Accelerometer data will be processed using the absolute acceleration signal, and local acceleration peaks will be identified within each active round using a predefined operational criterion.

The primary purpose of the study is to evaluate whether a short high-intensity intermittent boxing-specific training block is associated with changes in sport-specific punching output. Secondary objectives are to describe changes in post-test heart-rate response, one-minute heart-rate recovery, and accelerometer-derived indicators of movement intensity. Given the applied training context and the expected small sample, the study will be interpreted as exploratory and field-based rather than as a definitive efficacy trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 9
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Colombia
  • Antioquia
    • Guarne, Antioquia, Colombia, 054080
      • Tecnológico de Antioquia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Youth amateur boxers regularly enrolled in a supervised boxing training program.
• Age within the predefined youth/adolescent range established in the protocol.
• Regular attendance to boxing training before the beginning of the intervention.
• Ability to complete the standardized boxing-specific test at baseline and post-intervention.
• Medical, coaching, or institutional clearance to participate in regular boxing training.
• Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian.
• Written or verbal assent from the athlete, according to institutional ethics requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current musculoskeletal injury or pain limiting boxing training or testing.
• Known cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or metabolic condition contraindicating high-intensity exercise.
• Use of medication or substances that may substantially alter heart-rate response, unless medically authorized and documented.
• Inability to complete baseline or post-intervention testing.
• Participation in another structured training intervention likely to interfere with the study outcomes.
• Withdrawal of parental consent or participant assent at any point.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Experimental: High-Intensity Intermittent Boxing Training; Participants will complete a nine-session high-intensity intermittent boxing training intervention integrated into their regular training context. The intervention will include repeated high-intensity boxing-specific efforts with structured recovery periods, aiming to stimulate sport-specific punching output and post-exercise recovery capacity.

Behavioral: Nine-session high-intensity intermittent boxing training; The intervention consists of nine supervised training sessions based on high-intensity intermittent boxing-specific exercises. Sessions will be conducted in a real-world amateur boxing training environment and will involve repeated high-intensity efforts, recovery intervals, and technical actions representative of boxing demands. The intervention is not pharmacological and does not involve a medical device.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in total punching output during the boxing-specific test	Total number of punches completed across all active rounds of the standardized boxing-specific test. Punches will be counted during each active round and summed to obtain total punching output.	Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in round-by-round punching output	Number of punches completed during each active round of the standardized boxing-specific test. This outcome will be used to describe within-test performance maintenance or decline across rounds.	Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session
Change in heart rate immediately after the boxing-specific test	Heart rate recorded immediately after completion of the standardized boxing-specific test. This outcome will be used to characterize the acute cardiovascular response to the test.	Immediately after the test at baseline and immediately after the test post-intervention
Change in heart rate one minute after the boxing-specific test	Heart rate recorded one minute after completion of the standardized boxing-specific test. This outcome will be used to characterize early post-exercise recovery.	One minute after the test at baseline and one minute after the test post-intervention
Change in one-minute heart-rate recovery	Heart-rate recovery will be calculated as the difference between heart rate immediately after the test and heart rate one minute after the test. Higher values indicate a larger reduction in heart rate during the first minute of recovery.	Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session
Change in accelerometer-derived sum of absolute acceleration peaks per round	Exploratory accelerometer-derived outcome calculated from the Phyphox absolute acceleration signal during each active round. Local peaks will be identified in the "Absolute acceleration (m/s²)" column using a predefined operational criterion: local maximum ≥4 m/s², with a minimum separation of 0.20 seconds between peaks. The sum of detected peak values will be calculated for each round. Rest intervals will be excluded from analysis.	Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session
Change in total accelerometer-derived sum of absolute acceleration peaks	Total accelerometer-derived response calculated as the sum of absolute acceleration peak values across all active rounds of the standardized boxing-specific test. This variable will be treated as an exploratory secondary indicator of movement intensity and external mechanical response during the test.	Baseline and post-intervention, within 48-72 hours after the ninth training session

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Federal University of Vicosa

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rodrigues Maciel A, Herling Lambertucci R, Madureira Barbosa F, Fernandes Guerra RL. Proposal and reproducibility of a specific test for amateur boxing. Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology. 2023;23(4):8-15. doi:10.14589/ido.23.4.2.
• Ghosh AK, Goswami A, Ahuja A. Heart rate & blood lactate response in amateur competitive boxing. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 1995;102:179-183.
• Franchini E, Cormack S, Takito MY. Effects of high-intensity interval training on Olympic combat sports athletes' performance and physiological adaptation: a systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2019;33(1):242-252. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002957.
• Vasconcelos BB, Protzen GV, Galliano LM, Kirk C, Del Vecchio FB. Effects of high-intensity interval training in combat sports: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2020;34(3):888-900. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003255.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 8, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 30, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Heart rate recovery; Youth athletes; Amateur boxing; High-intensity intermittent training; Punching output
• Other Study ID Numbers: TdeA-BOX-HIIT-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared because the study involves minors and a small sport-specific sample, which may increase the risk of indirect identification. Results will be reported only in aggregate form. Non-identifiable summary data or analytic procedures may be made available upon reasonable request, subject to institutional ethics approval and participant confidentiality safeguards.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No