## 4 Discussion
Regarding the lower body part maximum strength, since it was expressed through the dynamometer measurements for quadriceps and hamstrings, we noticed increases for every team that participated in our study, with no significant differences between the teams. Additionally, we found one more study that tried to investigate the maximum strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings in female basketball athletes with an isokinetic dynamometer,before and after the pre-season period. In their study, a significant improvement was found in the maximum strength of the hamstrings (7.31 N.m) but not for the quadriceps [42]. The duration of their research was the same as ours (6 weeks), but the fitness protocols that were used in their study were different compared to ours, as [PERSON] et al., 2004 [42] used a pylometric fitness protocol in parallel with isotonic strengthening exercises, as opposed to our mixed pylometric and functional fitness protocol, which led to improvements not only to the maximum strength of the hamstrings: (Team 1 \(\rightarrow\) 2.83 \(\pm\) 1.56 N.m), (Team 2 \(\rightarrow\) 2.08 \(\pm\) 1.88 N.m) and (Team 3 \(\rightarrow\) 1.76 \(\pm\) 1.03 N.m) but also in the maximum strength of the quadriceps: (Team 1 \(\rightarrow\) 3.65 \(\pm\) 2.41 N.m), (Team 2 \(\rightarrow\) 3.06 \(\pm\) 2.35 N.m) and (Team 3 \(\rightarrow\) 2.95 \(\pm\) 2.09 N.m). Several epidemiological studies have shown that most of the muscle injuries in basketball athletes occur in the hamstring muscles [43; 44]. For this reason, one of the main goals of the fitness training protocols that we used in this research was the proper and adequate training of the hamstrings in order to avoid or minimize the risk for any potential injuries. If we observe the effect sizes of the two lower extremity indices that we examined, we will identify that the maximum strength of the quadriceps had mild increases, while the maximum strength of the hamstrings had large increases for all the teams. Accordingly, we can safely state that the training protocols that were used in our research have managed to produce large improvements in the maximum strength of the hamstring muscles for every team that participated in this study. The determination of CK and LDH demonstrated similar elevated levels for the three teams: (CK: Team 1 \(\rightarrow\) 82 \(\rightarrow\) 77.63 U/L, Team 2 \(\rightarrow\) 70.6 \(\pm\) 26.32 U/L and Team 3 \(\rightarrow\) 46.88 \(\pm\) 42.86 U/L) and (LDH: Team 1 \(\rightarrow\) 43.88 \(\pm\) 45.28 U/L, Team 2 \(\rightarrow\) 18.4 \(\pm\) 24.74 U/L and Team 3 \(\rightarrow\) 14 \(\pm\) 9.57 U/L). Observing these values, it can be noted that Team 3 had a trend for a lower increase in CK and LDH than Teams 1 and 2, but this trend was not found to be statistically significant. Several other studies have demonstrated higher levels of CK (615-1250 U/L) and LDH (59-89.37 U/L) in basketball athletes after 2 months of training and until the end of the season [45; 46; 47], or after a single official match (\(\sim\)125-160%) [48; 49]. The repeated pylometric movements and the body collisions that are occurring during basketball training or official matches are the main reasons for the increased muscle damage of these athletes [45; 50]. Plyometric muscle contractions are known to cause muscle damage, particularly when performed without a sufficient training background [51]. The game of basketball involves repeated high-intensity movements, continuous jumps and changes in direction. Given these demands, it is very likely that such specific movements will lead to an extended load on the lower extremity muscles, resulting in subsequent muscle damage [49; 50]. According to these data, it was very important for our research to analyze the potential muscle damage that was caused by each protocol. The analyses of CK and LDH are broadly recognized as two of the best procedures for identifying muscle damage, though not always fully reflective of the extent of the damage.