Analysis of physiological responses of padel players in laboratory and competition. A systematic review

Abstract

Padel has experienced remarkable growth and development over the last decade, becoming one of the most widely practiced professional sports worldwide. This quick expansion has piqued the interest of the scientific community, prompting investigations into its physiological impact on players. This systematic review aims to analyze the common markers used to assess the physiological responses of padel players of both sexes under laboratory and competitive conditions. The review followed the PRISMA methodology to identify articles that met specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four of the most relevant databases in the field of sport—Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus—were examined, yielding 463 articles. Ultimately, 11 studies that met the quality criteria were selected for inclusion. Among the selected studies, six involved various laboratory tests, eleven focused on analyzing physiological aspects related to cardiac variables (heart rate), and three studies assessed ventilatory parameters (VO2). In laboratory conditions, the maximum heart rate (HRmax) was recorded at 200.4 ± 15.7 beats per minute (b/min) for male players and 186.2 ± 7.8 b/min for female players. VO2max values ranged from 43.2 to 59.4 ml/kg/min for males and from 39.9 to 53.3 ml/kg/min for females. In competitive settings, the average heart rate (HRmed) for female players ranged from 135 to 167 b/min, while for male players, it ranged from 126 to 180.8 b/min. The HRmax during men's competition fell between 154.7 and 208 b/min, and for women's competition, it ranged from 161.4 to 198 b/min. The percentage of HRmax (%HRmax) was 72.2% to 99.4% for females and 68.8% to 95.1% for males. The VO2 recorded was 24 ml/kg/min, with a %VO2max of 43.7 ml/kg/min relative to the maximum. The laboratory results indicate that male players generally perform better on all cardiac and ventilatory physiological parameters. There is notable cardiac variability observed during padel competitions for both sexes. While female players reach higher HRmax values, male players exhibit higher HRmin, HRmed, HRmax, and %HRmed. Additionally, the VO2 in men's competition is less than 50% of VO2max. This review provides reference values for physiological metrics and outlines the potential physiological adaptations associated with the sport of padel.