High-Tempo Warm-Up Music and Anaerobic Power During and After Ramadan Fasting

Effects of High-Tempo Music During Warm-Up on Anaerobic Power in Trained Male Soccer Players During and After Ramadan Fasting: A Repeated-Measures Study

This study investigates whether standardized high-tempo music used during warm-up affects anaerobic power in trained male soccer players during and after Ramadan fasting. Sixteen players completed four experimental sessions in a 2 × 2 within-participant repeated-measures design combining assessment period (during Ramadan vs. approximately two weeks after Ramadan) and warm-up condition (music vs. no music). Within each assessment period, the order of the music and no-music conditions was randomized. Participants completed a modified FIFA 11+ warm-up with or without a standardized high-tempo music playlist (120-140 bpm), followed by the Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST). The primary outcomes were peak power, mean power, relative peak power, and relative mean power. The study examines whether the effects of warm-up music on anaerobic power differ between Ramadan fasting and post-Ramadan conditions.

This study was designed to examine whether standardized high-tempo music used during warm-up affects anaerobic power differently during and after Ramadan fasting in trained male soccer players.

Sixteen male soccer players completed four experimental sessions in a 2 × 2 within-participant repeated-measures design combining assessment period (during Ramadan vs. approximately two weeks after Ramadan) and warm-up condition (music vs. no music). Within each assessment period, the order of the music and no-music conditions was randomized, and consecutive sessions were separated by at least 48 hours. Each participant served as his own control.

Before the anaerobic performance test, participants completed a modified FIFA 11+ warm-up. In the music condition, the warm-up was performed while listening through loudspeakers to a standardized high-tempo playlist (120-140 beats per minute). The same playlist, volume, and playback sequence were used for all participants and testing sessions. Music was stopped immediately after completion of the warm-up. In the no-music condition, participants completed the same warm-up without music.

Anaerobic performance was assessed using the Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST), consisting of six maximal 35-meter sprints separated by 10 seconds of passive recovery. The primary outcomes were peak power, mean power, relative peak power, and relative mean power. Testing procedures were standardized across the four experimental sessions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male soccer players
• At least two years of regular soccer training experience
• Actively competing in the Turkish Regional Amateur League
• Good general health
• No acute or chronic medical conditions
• No musculoskeletal injury within the preceding six months
• Ability to attend all testing sessions
• Regular observance of Ramadan fasting during the Ramadan testing period

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any condition limiting maximal-effort testing
• Existing orthopedic injury