Oct-Dec (2025)

Building Aerobic Engines Young: Effects of an Eight-Week Sub-Maximal Aerobic Training Programme on Body Composition, Physiological Efficiency and On-Field Performance in Under-14 Cricketers

Tanveer Ali

Research Scholar, Department of Physical Education, Rabindranath Tagore university, Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Vikas Saxena

Head of the Department, Department of Physical Education, Rabindranath Tagore University, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Modern cricket increasingly demands repeated high-intensity efforts interspersed with low-intensity activity over long durations, making aerobic fitness a foundational quality even at junior levels. This study examined the impact of an eight-week sub-maximal aerobic training programme on selected body composition, physiological and performance variables among Under-14 cricketers. Methods: Thirty male cricketers (N=30), aged 12-14 years, registered with district-level junior cricket academies, were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to an Experimental Group (sub-maximal aerobic training, n=15) and a Control Group (regular cricket coaching only, n=15). The experimental group undertook sub-maximal continuous and interval running at 60-75% of age-predicted maximum heart rate, three sessions per week for eight weeks, in addition to routine skill training. Body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and percentage body fat represented body composition; resting heart rate, VO2max (estimated via the 20-m multistage shuttle run/beep test) and vital capacity represented physiological variables; and 30-yard sprint, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level and beep test stage represented performance variables. Pre- and post-test data were analysed using paired and independent sample t-tests at the 0.05 level of significance. Results: The experimental group showed statistically significant improvements across all nine variables (p<0.05), with the largest relative changes observed in Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery performance (16.4%), beep test stage (19.4%) and percentage body fat reduction (15.2%), while the control group showed negligible, non-significant change. Conclusion: An eight-week sub-maximal aerobic training protocol produces meaningful, favourable adaptations in body composition, cardio-respiratory efficiency and cricket-specific performance capacities in Under-14 cricketers without imposing excessive physiological strain, supporting its inclusion as a safe, age-appropriate conditioning modality in junior cricket programmes.

Keywords: Body composition, VO2max, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, junior cricket, Under-14 cricketers
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