The Effects of an 8-Week Moderate-Intensity Continuous Running Program on Selected Performance Parameters in National-Level Cross-Country Athletes

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of an 8-week moderate-intensity continuous running program on key performance parameters in national-level cross-country athletes. The research focused on determining how such training influences endurance capacity, speed, agility, explosive power, and flexibility—components that play a critical role in the complex physiological and mechanical demands of cross-country running. Method: A total of 30 national-level cross-country athletes participated in this study. A single-group pre-test/post-test design was used. Athletes completed an 8-week moderate-intensity continuous running program in addition to their regular training. Performance assessments included Wingate anaerobic power, 30 m sprint, Illinois agility test, 20 m shuttle run, standing long jump, and sit-and-reach flexibility tests. Pre- and post-training values were compared using paired samples t-tests and Cohen’s d effect sizes. Results: Significant improvements were observed across all performance parameters following the 8-week training program (p < 0.001). Athletes demonstrated increases in anaerobic power, aerobic endurance, explosive strength, and flexibility, accompanied by decreases in sprint and agility times. All variables showed very large effect sizes, indicating strong physiological and neuromuscular adaptations in response to moderate-intensity continuous loads. Conclusion: The findings indicate that moderate-intensity continuous running is an effective and sustainable training method for enhancing multidimensional performance in national-level cross-country athletes. The program produced robust improvements even in high-performance individuals, highlighting the importance of including well-planned moderate-intensity endurance sessions in training models..

Keywords

• Athletics
• Endurance
• Performance

Milli Krosçularda 8 Haftalık Egzersizlerin Ve Orta Şiddetli Devamlı Yüklenmelerin Bazı Parametreler Üzerine Etkisinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, milli kros koşucularında orta şiddette sürekli koşuya odaklanan 8 haftalık bir antrenman programının temel performans parametreleri üzerindeki etkilerini incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Araştırma; kros koşusunun karmaşık fizyolojik ve mekanik gerekliliklerinde kritik rol oynayan aerobik dayanıklılık, hız, çeviklik, patlayıcı güç ve esneklik bileşenleri üzerinde bu tür bir antrenmanın etkisini belirlemeye odaklanmıştır. Yöntem: Çalışmaya toplam 30 milli kros sporcusu katılmıştır. Tek gruplu ön test–son test araştırma deseni kullanılmıştır. Sporcular, düzenli antrenman rutinlerine ek olarak orta şiddette sürekli koşu temelli ve tamamlayıcı egzersizlerle desteklenen 8 haftalık kombine bir antrenman programını uygulamıştır. Performans değerlendirmeleri; Wingate anaerobik güç testi, 30 m sprint testi, Illinois çeviklik testi, 20 m mekik koşusu testi, durarak uzun atlama testi ve otur-uzan esneklik testi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Antrenman öncesi ve sonrası değerler, eşleştirilmiş örneklemler t-testi ve Cohen’s d etki büyüklüğü hesaplaması kullanılarak karşılaştırılmıştır. Bulgular: Sekiz haftalık antrenman programı sonrasında tüm performans parametrelerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı düzeyde gelişmeler gözlenmiştir (p < 0,001). Sporcuların anaerobik güç, aerobik dayanıklılık, patlayıcı kuvvet ve esneklik düzeylerinde artış; sprint ve çeviklik sürelerinde ise azalma saptanmıştır. Tüm değişkenlerde çok büyük etki büyüklükleri elde edilmesi, performans adaptasyonlarının ağırlıklı olarak orta şiddette sürekli koşu temelli antrenman uyaranına bağlı güçlü gelişimler ortaya koyduğunu göstermektedir. Sonuç: Bulgular, orta şiddette sürekli koşuya odaklanan ve tamamlayıcı egzersizlerle desteklenen bir antrenman programının, milli kros sporcularında çok boyutlu performansı geliştirmede etkili ve sürdürülebilir bir yaklaşım olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Programın, yüksek performans düzeyindeki bireylerde dahi belirgin gelişimler sağlaması; kapsamlı antrenman modelleri içinde iyi planlanmış orta şiddette dayanıklılık seanslarına yer verilmesinin önemini vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

• Atletizm
• Dayanıklılık
• Performans

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