Ergogenic aids in competitive handball players: a narrative review.

Abstract

Handball performance is a team-sport characterized by high intensity efforts interspersed with recovery periods. Due to high demands of handball performance, the use of ergogenic aids is a common strategy of handball players with the aim of enhancing handball performance, to allow more effective training, and to increase the rate of recovery. Although the use of ergogenic aids is generalized in the whole spectrum of competitive handball (e.g., from recreational to professional players), only a few ergogenic aids have been investigated to test their effectiveness to increase handball performance. In addition, no previous study has summarized the scientific literature on this topic to determine the ergogenic aids with good level of evidence regarding their effectiveness to increase handball physical performance. Thus, the aim of this narrative review was to describe the prevalence in the use of ergogenic aids in handball players and to analyse this information to identify which of these substances may increase physical performance in an intermittent sport such as competitive handball.