Small-Sided Games are More Enjoyable Than High-Intensity Interval Training of Similar Exercise Intensity in Soccer

Figures & data

Figure 1 Experimental design figure.

Abbreviations: SSG, small-sided game; HIIT, high-intensity interval training; HR, heart rate; MAS, maximal aerobic speed; %HRmax, percentage of maximal heart rate; %HRreserve, percentage of reserve heart rate; [La], blood lactate concentration; RPE, rating of perceived exertion; PACES, The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale.

Figure 2 Ratings of physical enjoyment measured by the physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES) after completing the small sided games (SSG) protocol and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol. Mean ± SD. ***Significantly (p<0.001) different from HIIT protocol.

Table 1 Comparison of Measures of Exercise Intensity Between HIIT and SSG

Variables	Training Method	Mean ± SD	p	ES
%HRmax (beat.min^−1)	HIIT	87.98 ± 2.31	0.70	0.11 (trivial)
	SSG	88.23 ± 2.25
%HRreserve (beat.min^−1)	HIIT	83.75 ± 2.28	0.74	0.12 (trivial)
	SSG	84.08 ± 3.34
[La] (mmol.l^−1)	HIIT	4.98 ± 0.88	0.38	0.21 (small)
	SSG	5.20 ± 1.26
RPE	HIIT	7.09 ± 0.98	0.61	0.08 (trivial)
	SSG	7.01 ± 1.01

Abbreviations: SSG, small-sided game; HIIT, high-intensity interval training; %HRmax, percentage of maximal heart rate; %HRreserve, percentage of reserve heart rate; [La], blood lactate concentration; RPE, ratings of perceived exertion; ES, size effect.

Figure 3 Mean 5-jump test scores relative to leg length measured before (pre-training) and after (post-training) SSG and HIIT training protocols. Mean ± SD. *Significant difference between pre-training and post-training values for each training method.