WEIGHT TRAINING INDUCED CHANGES ON HAEMATOLOGICAL VARIABLES OF HOCKEY PLAYERS

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of weight training on selected haematological variables among hockey players. The study aimed to assess whether a 12-week weight training program would produce significant changes in selected blood parameters compared to a control group that continued with regular activities. Thirty (N = 30) male hockey players from Selvam Educational Institutions, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India, were randomly selected as subjects for this study. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 25 years. The subjects were divided at random into two equal groups of fifteen (n = 15) each. Group I (Experimental Group)  Underwent a structured weight training program. Group II (Control Group): Did not participate in any experimental training and continued with their regular routine activities. The study focused on selected haematological variables and blood samples were collected under standardized laboratory conditions both before and after the 12-week experimental period. The study followed a random group design involving a pre-test and post-test with a control group. Blood samples were analyzed using standard hematological laboratory tests. The collected data were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to determine the significance of mean differences between the experimental and control groups. The level of significance was set at 0.05 to test the hypotheses. It was concluded that there was significant improvement on RBC & WDC due to weight training when compared to control group.