| Summary: | Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the effects of high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) intervention on the physical fitness, hormonal and antioxidant factors of adult male soccer players. Methods: A randomized controlled study design was implemented. Eighteen soccer players (age: 20.3 ± 0.66 years; stature: 174.0 ± 6.01 cm; body mass: 69.1 ± 6.4 kg; body mass index: 22.8 ± 1.6 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) voluntarily participated in this study. Players were assessed before and after an intervention lasting 8 weeks, with three training sessions a week. Assessments of physical fitness included the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YYIRT1), 10-, 20-, and 30 m sprint time (ST), running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) and change-of-direction time (COD). Hormonal tests included cortisol, testosterone and growth hormone (GH), whereas the antioxidant assessment included superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH). Results: Between-group analysis revealed no significant differences at baseline, whereas it revealed that HIRT presented significant better results than the control group on YYIRT (<i>p</i> = 0.032), 10 m ST (<i>p</i> = 0.041), 20 m ST (<i>p</i> = 0.040), 30 m ST (<i>p</i> = 0.044), RAST (<i>p</i> = 0.013), and COD (<i>p</i> = 0.031) after the intervention period. The within group analysis revealed that the HIRT group significantly improved the YYIRT1 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), VO2max (<i>p</i> < 0.001), 10 m ST (<i>p</i> < 0.001), 20 m ST (<i>p</i> = 0.006), 30 m ST (<i>p</i> < 0.001), RAST (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and COD (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Moreover, HIRT group significantly reduced the cortisol (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and MDA (<i>p</i> = 0.021), whereas it significantly increased the GH (<i>p</i> < 0.001), testosterone (<i>p</i> < 0.001), SOD (<i>p</i> = 0.009) and GSH (<i>p</i> = 0.005). Conclusions: The HIRT is effective for improving physical fitness, revealing significant better adaptations than controls. Moreover, hormonal and antioxidant adaptations are also confirmed after HIRT intervention.
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