SECTION III - SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY / REVIEW
Factors Influencing the Efficacy of Concurrent Training in Team Sports: A Narrative Review
 
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1
Science-Based Training Research Group, Physical Performance and Sports Research Center (CIRFD), Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain.
 
2
Faculty of Sports Sciences, Department of Sports and Computer Sciences, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain.
 
3
Centro Universitario San Isidoro, Seville, Spain, Seville, Spain.
 
4
Institute of Sport Sciences, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Katowice, Poland.
 
5
NAR, Nucleus of High Performance in Sport, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
 
6
Department of Human Movement Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
 
7
UCAM Research Center for High Performance Sport, UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
 
8
FSI, Football Science Institute, Granada, Spain.
 
 
Submission date: 2025-10-12
 
 
Final revision date: 2025-12-21
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-01-09
 
 
Publication date: 2026-02-05
 
 
Corresponding author
Irineu Loturco   

Sport Science, NAR - Nucleus of High Performance in Sport, São Paulo, Brazil
 
 
Journal of Human Kinetics 2026;100:135-149
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Concurrent training (CT)—the integration of strength and endurance exercises within the same session or cycle—is widely implemented in team sports. However, its optimal configuration and the conditions under which the so-called “interference effect” occurs remain subjects of debate. This narrative review critically examines the factors influencing CT efficacy in team sports, emphasizing the roles of training sequence, inter-session recovery, the endurance-training modality, and athletes’ strength levels. Thirteen experimental studies involving male and female athletes from various team sports and competitive levels were analyzed. The evidence suggests that CT may effectively enhance both strength and endurance capacities when properly structured. Performing strength training before endurance training, or separating sessions by at least six hours, appears to minimize neuromuscular fatigue and preserve positive performance adaptations. Conversely, high volumes of endurance training or insufficient recovery periods tend to intensify the interference effects, particularly in speed- and power-related outcomes, which are often more pronounced in top-level athletes. Overall, CT may be a viable strategy for optimizing multiple physical qualities in team-sport environments, provided that its variables are carefully and systematically manipulated. This review also highlights the need for long-term interventions and female-specific studies to refine current practices and strengthen the evidence base in applied high-performance settings.
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