Strength Deficit in Elite Young Rugby Players: Differences Between Playing Positions and Associations With Sprint and Jump Performance
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Carlos Santiago Zabaloy [2] ; Julian Giraldez [3] ; Braian Fink [3] ; Pedro E. Alcaraz Ramón [4] ; Lucas A. Pereira [1] ; Tomas Freitas [5] ; Irineu Loturco [5]
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[1] Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Brasil
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[2] Faculty of Sports Sciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain
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[3] Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports, University of Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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[4] Research Center for High Performance Sport, Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), Murcia, Spain
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[5] Nucleus of High Performance in Sport (NAR), Sao Paulo, Brazil
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- Localización: Journal of strength and conditioning research: the research journal of the NSCA, ISSN 1064-8011, Vol. 36, Nº. 4, 2022, págs. 920-926
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
The aims of this study were twofold: to compare the strength-related performance between young forwards and backs rugby players and to examine the correlations between strength deficit (SDef), strength parameters, and sprint and jump performance. Fifty-seven male rugby players (mean +/- SD: age, 17.4 +/- 1.3 years) performed anthropometric and body composition assessments, vertical jumps, 30-m sprint, and squat (SQ) and bench press (BP) 1-repetition maximum tests (1RM SQ and BP). The differences in the tested variables between positions were analyzed through an independent t-test. A Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationships among the variables. Significant differences were observed for anthropometric and body composition measures and jump and sprint performance between positions (p < 0.05; effect size [ES]: 0.60-1.34), except for 5-m velocity (p = 0.080; ES: 0.57). Backs demonstrated higher relative 1RM than forwards in both exercises (p = 0.009 and p = 0.008; ES = 0.88 and 0.91, for SQ and BP, respectively). In addition, backs demonstrated lower SDef from 70 to 90% 1RM (p < 0.048) but small-to-moderate nonsignificant lower SDef against lighter loads compared with forwards (50-60% 1RM). Overall, SDef across all loads (r: -0.378 to -0.529) and 1RM SQ (r: 0.504 to -0.590) were significantly related to sprint performance. Therefore, young rugby players who present lower magnitudes of SDef and superior 1RM SQ performance tend to be faster in linear sprints.
