Effects of a Short-Term Recreational Team Handball-Based Programme on Physical Fitness and Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health of 33-55-Year-Old Men: A Pilot Study

Table 2

Physical fitness, cardiovascular and metabolic health markers at baseline and after 12 weeks of recreational team handball practice (n = 15; team handball group) or a continuation of an inactive lifestyle (n = 9; control group).

Team handball group (n = 15)

Control group (n = 9)

Two-way ANOVA

p

Baseline

12 weeks

△ (abs)

△ (%)

Baseline

12 weeks

△ (abs)

△ (%)

Time; (F; p)

Group; (F; p)

Interaction; (F; p)

Time; group; interaction

Time; group; interaction

Physical Fitness

YYIE2; (m)

351±149

652±#

302±277#

79.9±54.3#

307±134

351±168

44±103

17.4±37.5

12.629;

3.083;

6.973;

0.387; 0.134;

0.002; 0.094;

0.002

0.094

0.016

0.259

0.016

Postural balance; (n)

16±9

11±#

−6±7#

−26.9±40.7#

18±11

21±15

3±7.0

11.6±34.8

1.012;

1.746;

6.710;

0.056; 0.093;

0.329; 0.204;

0.329

0.204

0.019

0.283

0.019

Handgrip strength; (kg)

53.7±8.1

54.9±7.0

1.2±4.9

3.1±10.2

52.3±9.9

49.6±7.6

−2.8±8.1

−3.9±14.4

0.268;

0.931;

1.836;

0.016; 0.052;

0.611; 0.348;

0.611

0.348

0.193

0.097

0.193

Cardiovascular health

VO2max; (mL/min/kg)

40.1±8.4

44.8±

4.7±4.1#

13.5±13.6#

38.6±8.7

39.1±9.0

0.6±1.7

1.5±5.2

10.291;

0.867;

6.290;

0.377; 0.049;

0.005; 0.365;

0.005

0.365

0.023

0.270

0.023

Resting heart rate; (bpm)

62±8#

52±#

−10±7#

−15.5±9.5#

75±11

78±12

3±8

4.1±9.9

5.425;

27.581;

17.821;

0.222; 0.592;

0.031; <0.001;

0.031

<0.001

<0.001

0.484

<0.001

Systolic blood pressure; (mmHg)

131±11

127±12

−4±8

−2.8±6.0

138±14

138±13

0±15

0.8±10.5

0.448;

3.274;

0.669;

0.024; 0.154;

0.512; 0.087;

0.512

0.087

0.424

0.036

0.424

Diastolic blood pressure; (mmHg)

75±10

71±#

−4±5

−4.3±6.3

83±11

82±13

−1±6

−1.6±7.7

3.466;

4.497;

0.808;

0.161; 0.200;

0.079; 0.048;

0.079

0.048

0.381

0.043

0.381

Mean arterial pressure; (mmHg)

93±10

90±8#

−4±5

−3.7±5.3

101±12

100±12

−1±8

−0.6±7.6

2.154;

4.448;

0.979;

0.107; 0.198;

0.159; 0.049;

0.159

0.049

0.336

0.052

0.336

Arterial stiffness (PWV); (m/seg)

10.0±4.2

8.5±2.7

−1.5±3.2

−11.1±18.7

8.2±2.9

7.9±1.9

−0.4±1.1

−1.5±13.1

0.895;

0.361;

0.319;

0.069; 0.029;

0.363; 0.559;

0.363

0.559

0.582

0.026

0.582

Metabolic health

Total cholesterol; (mmol/L)

5.6±1.3

4.9±

−0.7±0.9

−10.3±15.6

5.9±0.8

5.3±

−0.6±0.5

−10.5±8.5

15.095;

0.694;

0.077;

0.470; 0.039;

0.001; 0.416;

0.001

0.416

0.785

0.005

0.785

HDL cholesterol; (mmol/L)

1.1±0.2

1.3±

0.1±0.1#

10.7±11.2#

1.2±0.2

1.2±0.3

0.0±0.1

0.6±8.7

7.324;

0.002;

4.530;

0.301; <0.001;

0.015; 0.966;

0.015

0.966

0.048

0.210

0.048

LDL cholesterol; (mmol/L)

3.9±1.2

3.2±

−0.7±0.8

−14.2±23.4

4.2±0.7

3.5±

−0.7±0.5

−17.1±12.5

22.213;

0.511;

0.016;

0.566; 0.029;

<0.001; 0.484;

<0.001

0.484

0.900

0.001

0.900

Total cholesterol/HDL ratio

4.94±0.92

3.96±

−0.98±0.58

−19.3±8.5

5.08±1.15

4.62±

−0.46±0.48

−10.5±10.4

33.185;

0.738;

4.241;

0.661; 0.042;

<0.001; 0.402;

<0.001

0.402

0.055

0.200

0.055

Total cholesterol/LDL ratio

1.50±0.26

1.58±0.16

0.08±0.15

6.4±8.6

1.44±0.09

1.56±

0.13±0.10

8.8±6.9

10.698;

0.270;

0.562;

0.386; 0.016;

0.005; 0.610;

0.005

0.610

0.464

0.032

0.464

LDL/HDL ratio

3.39±0.90

2.54±

−0.86±0.56

−23.3±13.3

3.57±0.96

3.03±

−0.54±0.41

−17.2±13.2

35.892;

0.721;

1.849;

0.679; 0.041;

<0.001; 0.408;

<0.001

0.408

0.192

0.098

0.192

Triglycerides; (mmol/L)

1.3±0.5

1.1±0.7

−0.2±0.4

−15.3±25.7#

1.3±0.7

1.4±0.8

0.2±0.4

15.2±26.5

0.003;

0.259;

3.495;

<0.001; 0.015;

0.960; 0.617;

0.960

0.617

0.079

0.171

0.079

Fasting blood glucose; (mmol/L)

4.7±0.5

4.4±#

−0.3±0.4#

−6.6±8.2

4.9±0.3

5.0±0.6

0.1±0.4

1.1±8.2

2.016;

3.638;

4.359;

0.106; 0.176;

0.174; 0.074;

0.174

0.074

0.052

0.204

0.052

Two-hour OGTT blood glucose (mmol/L)

5.6±1.3

4.5±

−1.1±1.4

−17.0±20.0

5.3±1.2

5.5±1.3

0.1±1.3

4.0±26.3

2.530;

0.581;

3.847;

0.130; 0.033;

0.130; 0.456;

0.130

0.456

0.066

0.185

0.066

Fasting plasma insulin; (μmol/L)

15±5

10±6

−5±5

−33.6±26.0

30±29

14±

−15±25

−46.4±24.5

7.066;

2.072;

1.813;

0.294; 0.109;

0.017; 0.168;

0.017

0.168

0.196

0.096

0.196

Two-hour OGTT plasma insulin (μmol/L)

139±110

44±

−95±115

−49.9±56.4

109±152

85±116

−24±55

9.4±95.4

7.202;

0.016;

2.526;

0.298; 0.001;

0.016; 0.902;

0.016

0.902

0.130

0.129

0.130

Data is presented as mean ± sd.
Significantly different from baseline (p≤0.05).
Significantly different from the control group (p≤0.05).
YYIE2: Yo-Yo intermittent endurance level 2 test; VO₂max: maximal oxygen uptake; PWV: pulse wave velocity; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; OGTT: oral glucose tolerance test.