The effectiveness of sports massage and cupping against heart rate changes and lactic acid after high-intensity interval training in athletes

Authors

  • Aghus Sifaq Doctoral Program of Sport Science, Postgraduate Program, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Nurhasan Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Endang Sri Wahjuni Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Agus Hariyanto Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Heryanto Nur Muhammad Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Ali Satia Graha Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • Moh. Fathur Rohman Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Hari Setijono Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Fransisca Januarumi Marhaendra Wijaya Faculty of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Adi Pranoto Doctoral Program of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4080-9245
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.569231
Keywords: HIIT, Sport Massage, Cupping, Lactid Acid, Athlete

Abstract

Sports massage and cupping are ubiquitous in elite sports and increasingly common at the amateur level but evidence of these interventions has been underreported. The study's aim was to examine the effect of sports massage and cupping on changes in heart rate and lactic acid after high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with three experimental groups (sports massage group, cupping group, and sports massage plus cupping group) and one control group. A total of 40 athletes from East Java, Indonesia, participated. All groups consisted of ten athletes. The results showed that the sports massage intervention was more effective in reducing lactic acid and heart rate than the cupping group, the sports massage plus cupping group, and the control group. The results also indicated that the sports massage and cupping group had the lowest lactic acid and heart rate compared to the other groups (p ≤ 0.001). This study proves that sports massage and cupping was effective to reduce lactic acid and heart rate after high-intensity interval training. Our findings may contribute to helping guide coaches and athletes about the benefits of sports massage and cupping and provide information for incorporating sports massage and cupping into training and competition.

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Published
30-06-2026
How to Cite
Sifaq, A., Nurhasan, Wahjuni, E. S., Hariyanto, A., Muhammad, H. N., Graha, A. S., … Pranoto, A. (2026). The effectiveness of sports massage and cupping against heart rate changes and lactic acid after high-intensity interval training in athletes. SPORT TK-EuroAmerican Journal of Sport Sciences, 15, 60. https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.569231
Issue
Vol. 15 (2026)
Section
Articles

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The works and papers that are published in this Journal are subject to the following terms:

1. The Publication Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) has the Publication Rights (Copyright) to the published papers and works, and favors and permits the reusing of the same under the license indicated in point 2.

© Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2013

2. The papers and works are to be published in the digital edition of the Journal under the license Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No Comercial-Sin Obra Derivada 3.0 España (legal text). The copying, using, spreading, transmitting and publicly displaying of the papers, works or publication are permitted as long as: i) the authors and original sources (Journal, publisher and URL of the publication) are quoted; ii) it is not used for commercial benefit; iii) the existence and specifications of this users license are mentioned.

3. Conditions of Self-Archiving. It is permitted and encouraged that the authors spread electronically the pre-print (before printing) and/or post-print (the revised, evaluated and accepted) versions of their papers or works before their publication since this favors their circulation and early diffusion and therefore can help increase their citation and quotation, and also there reach through the academic community.