Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes

Asab Yismaw; Demeku Wondem; Alemayehu Wubale; Asnake Teshome Belay

doi:10.54141/psbd.1752868

Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of concurrent training on middle-distance running performance using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. Thirty middle-distance runners (age 17.30±0.59years, height 1.71±0.04m, and weight 63.09±2.09kg) were selected via simple random sampling from a pool of eligible athletes to ensure a representative sample. Following this selection, participants were assigned to one of three groups: Endurance Training Group (ETG), Strength Training Group (STG), or Concurrent Training Group (CTG) based on their baseline 2-km running performance. The intervention lasted 12 weeks, with each group training three times per week. Performance was assessed through local muscular endurance tests (squats and push-ups), estimated VO2max using the field-based Cooper test, and a 2-km time trial. Results indicated that the STG achieved significantly greater enhancements in squats and push-ups compared to both the ETG and CTG. While the ETG outperformed the STG in VO2max and time trial performance, the CTG demonstrated significant improvements over the ETG across all variables: squats, push-ups, VO2max, and time trials. Furthermore, significant time-group interaction effects were observed for nearly all metrics (p < 0.05). While the results yielded exceptionally large effect sizes, these should be interpreted with caution, as the values may be inflated by the small sample size (n = 10 per group) and the low within-group variability characteristic of a highly homogeneous, trained athletic cohort. This study concludes that a 12-week concurrent training program effectively improves a broad range of performance variables, successfully integrating the adaptations typically associated with exclusive strength and endurance modalities in trained middle-distance runners.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Project Number

Protocol No. ERC 01/2022

Ethical Statement

All experimental procedures were ratified by the Research Ethics Committee No. ERC 01/2022. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in the study.

Thanks

The authors would like to thank all the participants who participated in this study.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sports Training

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Asab Yismaw ^*
0009-0006-3948-7807
Ethiopia

Demeku Wondem
0000-0001-8822-7506
Ethiopia

Alemayehu Wubale
0000-0003-0986-166X
Ethiopia

Asnake Teshome Belay
0009-0003-3589-7145
Ethiopia

Early Pub Date

March 13, 2026

Publication Date

March 13, 2026

Submission Date

July 29, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 17 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1752868

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA82PG56MR

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Yismaw, A., Wondem, D., Wubale, A., & Belay, A. T. (2026). Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, 17(1), 113-127. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1752868

AMA

1.Yismaw A, Wondem D, Wubale A, Belay AT. Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026;17(1):113-127. doi:10.54141/psbd.1752868

Chicago

Yismaw, Asab, Demeku Wondem, Alemayehu Wubale, and Asnake Teshome Belay. 2026. “Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences 17 (1): 113-27. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1752868.

EndNote

Yismaw A, Wondem D, Wubale A, Belay AT (April 1, 2026) Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences 17 1 113–127.

IEEE

[1]A. Yismaw, D. Wondem, A. Wubale, and A. T. Belay, “Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes”, Pamukkale J Sport Sci, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 113–127, Apr. 2026, doi: 10.54141/psbd.1752868.

ISNAD

Yismaw, Asab - Wondem, Demeku - Wubale, Alemayehu - Belay, Asnake Teshome. “Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences 17/1 (April 1, 2026): 113-127. https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1752868.

JAMA

1.Yismaw A, Wondem D, Wubale A, Belay AT. Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026;17:113–127.

MLA

Yismaw, Asab, et al. “Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes”. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, vol. 17, no. 1, Apr. 2026, pp. 113-27, doi:10.54141/psbd.1752868.

Vancouver

1.Asab Yismaw, Demeku Wondem, Alemayehu Wubale, Asnake Teshome Belay. Effect of Concurrent Training on Middle-Distance Running Performances in Trained Athletes. Pamukkale J Sport Sci. 2026 Apr. 1;17(1):113-27. doi:10.54141/psbd.1752868