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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Dec 8;18(12):e0295531.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295531. eCollection 2023.

Effects of high-intensity functional training on physical fitness and sport-specific performance among the athletes: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Xinzhi Wang  1 , Kim Geok Soh  1 , Shamsulariffin Samsudin  1 , Nuannuan Deng  1 , Xutao Liu  1 , Yue Zhao  1 , Saddam Akbar  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of high-intensity functional training on physical fitness and sport-specific performance among the athletes: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Xinzhi Wang et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to meta-analyze the impact of high-intensity functional training on athletes' physical fitness and sport-specific performance.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in five well-known academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and the Cochrane Library) up to July 1, 2023. The literature screening criteria included: (1) studies involving healthy athletes, (2) a HIFT program, (3) an assessment of outcomes related to athletes' physical fitness or sport-specific performance, and (4) the inclusion of randomized controlled trials. The Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to evaluate the quality of studies included in the meta-analysis.

Results: 13 medium- and high-quality studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, involving 478 athletes aged between 10 and 24.5 years. The training showed a small to large effect size (ES = 0.414-3.351; all p < 0.05) in improving upper and lower body muscle strength, power, flexibility, and sport-specific performance.

Conclusion: High-intensity functional training effectively improves athletes' muscle strength, power, flexibility, and sport-specific performance but has no significant impact on endurance and agility. Future research is needed to explore the impact of high-intensity functional training on athletes' speed, balance, and technical and tactical performance parameters.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Flow chart of PRISMA article screening.
Fig 2
Fig 2
A. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on upper body strength. The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training. B. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on lower body strength. The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on power.
The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on endurance.
The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on agility.
The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on flexibility.
The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Forest plot of the effects of HIFT and control group on sport-specific performance.
The displayed result is an effect size of 95% Cls. HIFT = high-intensity functional training.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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