effects of ultra-short race pace training (usrpt) with beta-alanine supplementation on physical fitness in young soccer players

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the usrpt system combined with beta-alanine supplementation on the physical performance of elite young soccer players. forty-four young soccer players were purposefully selected and divided into four groups of 11 players: exercise-only (placebo), exercise with a supplementation, supplementation-only, and a control group. after a 10-minute warm-up, subjects performed the 25-minute usrpt protocol in three weekly sessions, followed by regular team training. the supplementation group consumed 4 grams of beta-alanine daily for six weeks, split into two doses 60 minutes before and after each training session. body composition, aerobic fitness (half-time test), anaerobic power (rast test), 20-meter sprint, muscle endurance, and borg’s rate of perceived exertion (rpe) were measured in the pre-test and post-test. the repeated measures anova revealed a significant difference in aerobic power, anaerobic power, muscular endurance, and fatigue drag index between the exercise-placebo and exercise-plus-supplementation groups after 40 days (p=0.001). no significant differences were found between the supplementation and control groups in other variables (p>0.05). this research found that the usrpt system effectively improves aerobic and anaerobic power in soccer players. it also suggests that when combined with usrpt, beta-alanine supplementation reduces fatigue and enhances performance. beta-alanine boosts sports performance by increasing carnosine in muscle cells and offering antioxidant benefits. coaches and athletes aiming to improve physical performance may consider using beta-alanine alongside targeted training.