Relationship between supplement consumption and aerobic capacity in taekwondo athletes

ABSTRAKLatar Belakang: Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh kondisi fisik atlet yang mulai menurun akibat karantina mandiri yang dilakukan selama masa pandemic COVID-19 mulai dari bulan Maret 2020. Hal ini membuat atlet menjadi terbatas dalam melakukan proses latihan karena proses latihan dilakukan secara online. Metode ini dirasa kurang maksimal karena kemungkinan eror yang cukup tinggi, sedangkan tuntutan kondisi fisik atlet yang optimal tetap dibutuhkan. Untuk memenuhi kebutuhan kondisi fisik tersebut, atlet tidak boleh hanya berfokus pada latihan fisik saja, namun atlet juga perlu memperhatikan gaya hidup dimana makanan yang tepat memiliki peranan utama. Atlet harus mempertimbangkan kebutuhan nutrisi, asupan kalori dan cairan, serta waktu makan agar memperoleh kebutuhan fisik yang optimal. Namun, atlet mengalami kesulitan untuk melakukan hal tersebut. Ketidakmampuan atlet dalam memenuhi kebutuhan nutrisi dengan maksimal membuat atlet dan pelatih mencoba mencari cara agar mampu memenuhi kebutuhan tersebut, salah satu caranya adalah dengan menggunakan suplemen.Tujuan: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis hubungan antara konsumsi suplemen dengan kapasitas aerobik atlet taekwondo.Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan desain korelasional yang melibatkan 16 atlet (8 putra dan 8 putri) TKD Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling dengan kriteria adalah atlet yang tergabung dalam tim inti dan dipersiapkan khusus untuk menghadapi pertandingan tahun 2021. Instrument penelitian yang digunakan adalah close-ended questionnaire dan balke test.Hasil: Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa sebanyak 63% atlet TKD mengonsumsi suplemen. Jenis suplemen yang paling banyak digunakan berdasarkan kandungan mayoritas didalamnya adalah protein sebanyak 50%. Bentuk suplemen yang paling banyak dikonsumsi adalah bubuk dengan frekuensi konsumsi setiap hari. Informasi tentang suplemen diperoleh dari pelatih sebanyak 50%, teman sebanyak 30% dan lainnya 20%. Kapasitas aerobik yang dimiliki atlet TKD masih 60% dari target yang ditentukan pelatih.Kesimpulan: Penelitian ini adalah tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara konsumsi suplemen dengan kapasitas aerobik atlet TKD.KATA KUNCI: atlet taekwondo; kapasitas aerobik; kondisi fisik; suplemen ABSTRACTBackground: This research was motivated by the physical condition of athletes which began to decline due to self-quarantine carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic starting from March 2020. This made athletes limited in carrying out the training process because the training process was carried out online. This method is considered to be less than optimal because the possibility of error is quite high, while the demands of the optimal athlete’s physical condition are still needed. To meet the needs of these physical conditions, athletes should not only focus on physical exercise, but athletes also need to pay attention to a lifestyle in which the right food plays a major role. Athletes must consider nutritional needs, calorie, and fluid intake, and meal times to obtain optimal physical needs. However, athletes have difficulty doing this. The inability of athletes to meet their nutritional needs optimally makes athletes and coaches try to find ways to be able to meet these needs, one way is to use supplements.Objectives: This study aims to analyze the relationship between supplement consumption and the aerobic capacity of taekwondo athletes.Methods: This study used a correlational design involving 16 athletes (8 males and 8 females) from TKD of the Indonesia University of Education who were selected using purposive sampling technique with the criteria being athletes who are members of the core team and are specially prepared to face the 2021 competition. The research instrument used was a close-ended questionnaire and a Balke test.Results: The results showed that as many as 63% of TKD athletes took supplements. The type of supplement that is most widely used based on the majority content in it is protein as much as 50%. The most commonly consumed form of supplement is powder at a daily frequency. Information about supplements was obtained from trainers by 50%, friends as much as 30% and the other 20%. The TKD athlete’s aerobic capacity is still 60% of the target set by the coach.Conclusion: This study concludes that there is no significant relationship between supplement consumption and the aerobic capacity of TKD athletes.KEYWORD: aerobic capacity; physical condition; supplement; taekwondo athlete