The Effect Of Physical Training Status On Serum Hemoglobin, Ferritin And Red Blood Cells Count Following One Session Intense Skipping Rope Exercise

The effects of skipping rope on cardiovascular fitness as well as physical fitness were proved. Moreover, this exercise with high intensity may induce changes in hematological parameters and hemolysis, due to its concurrent foot strike. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of physical training status on hemoglobin and ferritin and red blood cells counts following one session intense skipping rope exercise.

In this quasi-experimental study, 10 male endurance athletes (Age 20.80 ± 2.34 yrs; Weight 68.30 ± 3.02 kg; Body Fat %10.10 ± 2.02) and 10 non-athlete men (Age 21.50 ± 1.71 yrs; Weight 74.40 ± 6.58 kg; Body Fat %:19.80 ± 2.85) were randomly selected from volunteers. Exercise protocol was one session skipping rope including 10-min warm up with 55% of target heart rate and then progressed to 85% for 30 min. Hemoglobin, hematocrit percent, serum ferritin and RBC count were measured pre and post-exercise.

Result showed that the increase of hemoglobin level to 14.78 ± 0.614 (p < 0.001), hematocrit percentage to 44.25 ± 1.870 (p = 0.003), and RBC to 5.26 ± 0.249 (p = 0.005) were significant only in non-athlete men. The ferritin levels did not change in both groups. 

It seems that the difference in responses of the two groups to acute rope skipping is related to the adaptations made in the previous exposure of endurance athletes to exercise. The use of intense skipping rope may be a good choice for those having an active lifestyle.