Work

Exploratory longitudinal monitoring of physiological, hematological, psychological, and irisin responses during an 8-week pre-competition period in elite rhythmic gymnasts

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction Training load monitoring has been widely studied across many sports, yet evidence in rhythmic gymnastics remains limited despite its high energetic demands, technical complexity, and strict body composition requirements. This exploratory pilot study examined physiological, hematological, perceptual, psychological, and irisin responses during an 8-week pre-competition period in eight high-level female rhythmic gymnasts. Methods A multidimensional monitoring approach included heart rate assessment, lipid profiling, urinalysis, complete blood count, body composition analysis, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and the Chinese-language Athlete Training State Monitoring Scale developed by Yan. Results Irisin concentrations increased over the training period (nominal p = 0.033), while mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration remained below reference ranges. Exploratory associations were observed between changes in irisin and selected psychological variables, including a strong negative association with individual mean emotional stress across the monitoring period ( r = −0.859, nominal p = 0.006) and a positive association with individual mean psychological exhaustion ( r = 0.704, nominal p = 0.051). Several psychological outcomes showed no clear evidence of longitudinal change. Discussion These findings suggest that multidimensional monitoring may provide useful insight into the interaction between physiological adaptation and perceived recovery status during intensified pre-competition training in high-level rhythmic gymnasts. Given the small sample size and exploratory design, these findings should be interpreted cautiously.

Source: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1925319