A quasi-experimental study on the effectiveness of circuit training for improving aerobic capacity in female cricketers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v76.116118Keywords:
Aerobic capacity, VO₂ max, circuit training, cardiorespiratory fitnessAbstract
Background: Physical fitness, sleep quality, and activity levels are critical for cricket performance, yet evidence on effective training strategies for female players remains limited. Circuit training may improve these parameters but has not been extensively studied in this population.
Purpose: To investigate the effects of a four-week circuit training program on aerobic fitness, sleep quality, and physical activity levels in female cricket players.
Methods: Sixty national-level players (18–25 years) were randomly assigned to an intervention group (circuit training + regular practice) or a control group (regular practice). Assessments included Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level-1 (YYIRT1) for distance, estimated VO₂ max, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: Significant group × time interactions were observed for YYIRT1 distance (F(1,58) = 26.87, p < 0.001, η² = 0.32), VO₂ max (F(1,58) = 18.52, p < 0.001, η² = 0.24), PSQI (F(1,58) = 6.74, p = 0.012, η² = 0.10), and IPAQ (F(1,58) = 7.91, p = 0.007, η² = 0.12). Post hoc comparisons confirmed significant improvements in the intervention group, while the control group showed no changes.
Conclusion: A four-week circuit training program effectively enhances aerobic capacity, sleep quality, and physical activity levels in female cricketers. These findings support integrating circuit training into cricket conditioning programs and warrant further investigation through longer interventions with objective intensity monitoring.
References
Adami, P. E., Negro, A., Lala, N., & Martelletti, P. (2010). The role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. La Clinica Terapeutica, 161(6), 537–541.
Ahamad, G., Naqvi, S. K., Beg, M. M. S., & Ahmed, T. (2015). A Web based System for Cricket Talent Iden-tification, Enhancement and Selection (C-TIES). Procedia Computer Science, 62, 134–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.08.426
Alnawwar, M. A., Alraddadi, M. I., Algethmi, R. A., Salem, G. A., Salem, M. A., & Alharbi, A. A. (2023). The Effect of Physical Activity on Sleep Quality and Sleep Disorder: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 15(8), e43595. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.43595
Anitha, Dr. J., Kumaravelu, Dr. P., Lakshmanan, Dr. C., & Govindasamy, K. (2018). Effect of plyometric training and circuit training on selected physical and physiological variables among male Vo-lleyball players. International Journal of Yoga, Physiotherapy and Physical Education, 3(4), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.22271/sports.2018.v3.i4.07
Boby, F. A. & Manisha Badhan. (2023). Assessing aerobic endurance in elite female cricket players: A comparative study of Bangladeshi and Indian athletes. Scientific Journal of Sport and Perfor-mance, 2(4), 564–571. https://doi.org/10.55860/LVCG9159
Boby, F. A., Salvi, N. M., Islam, Md. Z., Vinu, W., Orhan, B. E., Citozi, R., Kambitta Valappil, I. N., Govinda-samy, K., Karmakar, D., & Geantă, V. A. (2025). Impact of circuit training on total distance cove-red and VO2 max in national-level women cricket players of Bangladesh. Retos, 69, 387–396. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v69.113599
Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013). High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle: Part I: cardiopulmonary emphasis. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 43(5), 313–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0029-x
Christie, C. J., Todd, A. I., & King, G. A. (2008). Selected physiological responses during batting in a simu-lated cricket work bout: A pilot study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(6), 581–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2007.08.001
Darmo Umar, M. R., & Tomoliyus, M. (2018). The Periodization of 4 and 6 Weeks Circuit Training and Age to Improve the Aerobic Endurance of Basketball Beginner Athletes. Proceedings of the 2nd Yogyakarta International Seminar on Health, Physical Education, and Sport Science (YISHPESS 2018) and 1st Conference on Interdisciplinary Approach in Sports (CoIS 2018). Proceedings of the 2nd Yogyakarta International Seminar on Health, Physical Education, and Sport Science (YISHPESS 2018) and 1st Conference on Interdisciplinary Approach in Sports (CoIS 2018), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/yishpess-cois-18.2018.166
Fatma Hilal, Y., Abdulvahap, P., & Georgian, B. (2024). Statistical Effect Sizes in Sports Science. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.12601138
Fitrian, Z. A., Graha, A. S., Nasrulloh, A., Munir, A., Асмара, М., & Irsyad, N. Y. (2023). The effect of circuit training, fartlek, and small-sided games on maximum oxygen consumption capacity building in futsal players. Health, Sport, Rehabilitation, 9(2), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.34142/HSR.2023.09.02.04
Fullagar, H. H. K., Skorski, S., Duffield, R., Hammes, D., Coutts, A. J., & Meyer, T. (2015). Sleep and athletic performance: The effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(2), 161–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0260-0
Hamlin, M. J., Deuchrass, R. W., Olsen, P. D., Choukri, M. A., Marshall, H. C., Lizamore, C. A., Leong, C., & Elliot, C. A. (2021). The Effect of Sleep Quality and Quantity on Athlete’s Health and Perceived Training Quality. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3, 705650. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.705650
Harold, G. T., Leve, L. D., Barrett, D., Elam, K., Neiderhiser, J. M., Natsuaki, M. N., Shaw, D. S., Reiss, D., & Thapar, A. (2013). Biological and rearing mother influences on child ADHD symptoms: Revisi-ting the developmental interface between nature and nurture. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 54(10), 1038–1046. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12100
Haskell, W. L., Lee, I.-M., Pate, R. R., Powell, K. E., Blair, S. N., Franklin, B. A., Macera, C. A., Heath, G. W., Thompson, P. D., & Bauman, A. (2007). Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recom-mendation for Adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1423–1434. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3180616b27
Heinrich, K. M., Spencer, V., Fehl, N., & Carlos Poston, W. S. (2012). Mission Essential Fitness: Compari-son of Functional Circuit Training to Traditional Army Physical Training for Active Duty Mili-tary. Military Medicine, 177(10), 1125–1130. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-12-00143
Khattak, I. U., Zia Ul Islam, S., & Manzoor, M. (2020). Effects of Circuit Training on Cardio-Respiratory Endurance Among College Students. Global Regional Review, V(III), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-III).05
Krustrup, P., Mohr, M., Amstrup, T., Rysgaard, T., Johansen, J., Steensberg, A., Pedersen, P. K., & Bangsbo, J. (2003). The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test: Physiological Response, Reliability, and Vali-dity. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(4), 697–705. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000058441.94520.32
Kumar, D., Kumar, S., Kumar, N., & Sagre, S. (2023). Effects of circuit training on selected physical fit-ness components of kabaddi players. Sports Science & Health Advances, 1(2), 143–148. https://doi.org/10.60081/SSHA.1.2.2023.143-148
Kumar, M. (2016). Physiology Effect of Circuit Training on Strength Speed and Flexibility Among Fast Bowlers in Cricket. International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports, 5(1), 17–21. https://doi.org/10.26524/1614
Mahalingam, M., Saibya, S., Pandey, G., Karmakar, D., Rajpoot, Y. S., Elayaraja, M., Prasad, S., Lachungpa, P. K., Govindasamy, K., & Gogoi, H. (2024). Effectiveness of High-Intensity Circuit Training on Physical Fitness Among Athletes: A Systematic Review of Randomized-Controlled and Non-Controlled Trials. Fizjoterapia Polska, 24(3), 145–157. https://doi.org/10.56984/8ZG020AWUR
Nandagopal, D., Murugavel, Dr. K., & Vinayagamoorthi, A. (2019). Impact of skill-based circuit training on physical fitness and skill performance parameters of women footballers. International Jour-nal of Sports, Exercise and Physical Education, 1(2), 23–25. https://doi.org/10.33545/26647281.2019.v1.i2a.11
Noakes, T. D., & Durandt, J. J. (2000). Physiological requirements of cricket. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18(12), 919–929. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404100446739
Orchard, J., Newman, D., Stretch, R., Frost, W., Mansingh, A., & Leipus, A. (2005). Methods for injury sur-veillance in international cricket. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 8(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1440-2440(05)80019-2
Ramos-Campo, D. J., Andreu Caravaca, L., Martínez-Rodríguez, A., & Rubio-Arias, J. Á. (2021). Effects of Resistance Circuit-Based Training on Body Composition, Strength and Cardiorespiratory Fit-ness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biology, 10(5), 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10050377
Ruby, B. C., & Robergs, R. A. (1994). Gender differences in substrate utilisation during exercise. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 17(6), 393–410. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199417060-00005
Saibya, S., Pandey, G., Jadhav, A. C., Rajpoot, Y. S., Govindasamy, K., Sarkar, S., & Gogoi, H. (2024). Impact of circuit training on physical fitness among team sports athletes: A systematic review. Fizjote-rapia Polska, 24(1), 244–257. https://doi.org/10.56984/8ZG2EF82sK
Samuels, C. (2008). Sleep, recovery, and performance: The new frontier in high-performance athletics. Neurologic Clinics, 26(1), 169–180; ix–x. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2007.11.012
Santos, A. C., Turner, T. J., & Bycura, D. K. (2022). Current and Future Trends in Strength and Conditio-ning for Female Athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), 2687. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052687
Shephard, R. J. (2000). Exercise and Training in Women, Part I: Influence of Gender on Exercise and Training Responses. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 25(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1139/h00-002
Smita Wagh, Yatin Wagh, & Kamini D Nikam. (2022). Assessment of role of physical fitness of cricket players in response to the various tests. Asian Journal of Medical Sciences, 13(7), 223–227. https://doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v13i7.44498
Sperlich, B., Wallmann-Sperlich, B., Zinner, C., Von Stauffenberg, V., Losert, H., & Holmberg, H.-C. (2017). Functional High-Intensity Circuit Training Improves Body Composition, Peak Oxygen Uptake, Strength, and Alters Certain Dimensions of Quality of Life in Overweight Women. Frontiers in Physiology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00172
Vickery, W., Duffield, R., Crowther, R., Beakley, D., Blanch, P., & Dascombe, B. J. (2018). Comparison of the Physical and Technical Demands of Cricket Players During Training and Match-Play. Jour-nal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(3), 821–829. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001528
Weston, M., Taylor, K. L., Batterham, A. M., & Hopkins, W. G. (2014). Effects of low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) on fitness in adults: A meta-analysis of controlled and non-controlled trials. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 44(7), 1005–1017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0180-z
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Farjana Akter Boby, Zafiroul Islam, Karuppasamy Govindasamy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
