A randomized open-labeled study to examine the effects of creatine monohydrate and combined training on jump and scoring performance in young basketball players

ABSTRACT

Background

Creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation has been shown to be an effective and safe nutritional supplement to improve performance; however, the impact of CrM supplementation in young basketball players is less clear. This study evaluated the effects of CrM supplementation during a strength and conditioning training (SCT) program on lower-limb strength parameters and performance in under-16 (U16) basketball players.

Methods

Twenty-three male U16 basketball players participated in this study (14.3 ± 0.4 years; BMI: 20.7 ± 2.2 kg∙m⁻²). The players were randomly assigned to either a CrM group (n = 12) that ingested 0.1 g·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹ of CrM or to a non-supplemented control group (n = 11, CON). The athletes participated in an 8-week SCT program consisting of two lower-limb resistance-training sessions and two plyometric sessions per week. Squat jump (SJ), drop jump (DP), countermovement jump (CMJ), and Abalakov (ABK) jump power tests as well as basketball performance (points and minutes per game) were measured before, during and/or after the intervention. Data were analyzed using a general linear model with repeated measures with independent Student’s t-test pairwise comparisons.

Results

The results (95% confidence interval for mean change from baseline) show that there were significant differences for all variables for CrM and CON, respectively: SJ (cm): 2.6 – 6.4, P < 0.01 and 2.2–5.1 P < 0.01; DJ (cm): 2.5–5.6, P < 0.01, and 1.8–4.4, P < 0.01; CMJ (cm): 0.3–0.8, P < 0.01, and 0.2–0.5, P < 0.01; ABK (cm): 2.8–5.5, P < 0.01 and 0.7–2.6, P = 0.003. A significant group x time interaction (p = 0.003, η_p² = 0.342) was observed in ABK performance. No significant group x time effects were seen in squat jump (p = 0.449, η_p² = 0.028), drop jump (p = 0.143, η_p² = 0.099), or counter movement jump (p = 0.304, η_p² = 0.05). A significant interaction effect was also observed in points per game (p = 0.049, η_p² = 0.149), while a non-significant but medium effect was seen in minutes per game (p = 0.166, η_p² = 0.094).

Conclusions

CrM supplementation in conjunction with resistance and plyometric training increased the lower-limb ABK power and scoring performance in U16 basketball players.

KEYWORDS:

• Resistance training
• power
• physical fitness
• adolescents
• dietary supplements

Disclosure statement

D.A.B. serves as science product manager for MTX Corporation®, a company that produces, distributes, sells, and does research on dietary supplements (including creatine) in Europe, has acted as a scientific consultant for MET-Rx and Healthy Sports in Colombia, and has received honoraria for speaking about creatine at international conferences. R.B.K. has conducted industry-sponsored research on creatine, received financial support for presenting on creatine at industry-sponsored scientific conferences, and has served as an expert witness on cases related to creatine. Additionally, R.B.K. serves as chair of the “Creatine for Health” scientific advisory board for Alzchem Group AG, while D.A.B. serves as member of this board. The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Participation in the study was voluntary, with written consent being obtained from each subject before the initiation of data collection. This study was conducted after review and approval by the Ethics Committee of the University of Málaga (Málaga, Spain). Committee’s reference number: 38-2019-H.

Additional information

Funding

Supported by the University of Málaga (Campus of International Excellence Andalucía Tech). The dietary supplements were provided by the I+D+i+d department of MTX Corporation (Irún, Spain).