Adaptive changes in the bodies of military personnel from different units during the use of training loads from elite athletes in Mixed Martial Arts

Abstract

Relevance. Systematization of the process of optimizing special functional training of military personnel from various units through the use of various models of training sessions in strength fitness and mixed martial arts has recently become one of the most controversial issues among a wide range of leading scientists in the field of physical education and military training. Objective. To study the characteristics of adaptive-compensatory reactions of the body of military personnel of special forces, the State Border Guard Service, and the Air Force in the process of using training models for elite MMA athletes and to assess the effectiveness of their impact on increasing resistance levels. Methods. Twenty elite MMA athletes aged 17±1.2 years and 60 military personnel representing special forces units, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), and the Ukrainian Air Force were examined. To assess adaptive-compensatory responses to test loads and changes in resistance levels during 3 months of training using MMA training models, blood biomarkers (LDH, cortisol, testosterone, and creatinine) were used. Results. It was found that at the beginning of the study, only in the group of special forces servicemen were the baseline values of controlled blood biomarkers most similar in their parameters to the data demonstrated by elite MMA athletes. Among the groups of State Border Guard Service and Air Force servicemen, the basal level of cortisol in blood serum is almost twice as high as the parameters recorded in representatives of the other two groups (athletes and representatives of special forces units), which indicates their low baseline stress resistance even before the start of the test loads. In response to the test loads, only in the group of elite athletes and special forces did we observe effective implementation of short-term adaptation processes, as reflected in increased concentrations of cortisol, testosterone, and creatinine against a background of increased LDH enzyme activity in blood serum within the reference range. The results obtained after three months of research indicate that the response to the test load in military personnel of all groups shows an increase in LDH and testosterone activity in the blood, but the concentration of cortisol in the blood serum among representatives of the air force continues to decrease. These changes indicate that the energy supply systems for muscle activity in the air force group did not optimize for this type of load. We observed a decrease in blood creatinine concentration, which only confirms the low level of their body's systems in response to this stressor. Conclusions. It has been established that, depending on the initial level of resistance of military personnel's body systems to various types of stress and their adaptive reserves, even prolonged use of the MMA training model, which is most effective for elite athletes, for representatives of units with a low level of physical training and the absence of an optimal system for managing training regimes, does not allow for the achievement of pronounced processes of long-term adaptation within a minimum period of time (3 months).