Effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphological characteristics in physically active men

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sprint and plyometric training on morphological characteristics of physically active men. One hundred and fifty one physical education students (18-24 years of age) were allocated into one of three groups: the plyometric group (PG; n = 50), the sprint group (SG; n = 50), and the control group (CG; n = 51). Both experimental groups participated in a training programme 3 times a week for 10 weeks. SG performed maximal sprints for distances between 10 and 50 meters, while the training programme in PG consisted of hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Anthropometric measurement was performed in the week before and the week after the experiment. There were no significant differences (P> 0.05) in magnitude of changes in any of the analysed anthropometric variables between the groups. However, a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in the percentage of body fat (6.1%) was found in SG. We also found a significant decrease (P < 0.0167) in body mass (1%), fat-free mass (0.4%) and body mass index (0.9%) for the SG, but the magnitude of these changes was rather low. We conclude that the short-term explosive-type training programmes in which muscles operate in the fast stretch-shortening cycle conditions (i.e., sprinting