There is a growing interest and volume of research conducted in Gaelic games. To date, vast amounts of research have been conducted investigating the physical demands of the games and the physical profiling of players. Furthermore, there have been investigations into the nutritional requirements of players as well as the exploration of various monitoring tools. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to identify the internal and external monitoring tools that have been used in Hurling, Camogie, Gaelic football and Ladies Gaelic football.
Using the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive review of electronic databases was performed using SPORTDiscus, PubMed, Scopus and Medline.
Twelve studies were included in the final analysis with a total sample size of 442 participants. It was found that training load monitoring (RPE × Duration) was the most common method used to monitor internal load, with ten studies including this method. The least common method of assessing internal training load concerned methods that assessed heart responses, such as heart rate variability (HRV). The most common method used to monitor external load was using GPS with ten studies using this method. Only two studies used jump performance to assess the effects of external load. A major finding of this review was that all studies included were male participants.
This systematic review highlights the various methods used to monitor players in Hurling, Camogie, Gaelic football and Ladies Gaelic football. As 10 of the 12 included studies utilised GPS units, these players are provided access to performance analysis methodologies that have the potential to support the ongoing progression of sporting performance. However, all studies that were included in this review had male participants. This is concerning as there are no published data on female players which would indicate that research into male players is applied to female players. Given the known physiological differences that exist between both, future research is needed to specifically conduct such research with female playing cohorts.
No research has investigated the physiological and perceptual demands of female cricket players at any level or for any format, making this study unique. This is despite the growth in popularity and professionalism of the women’s game. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the physiological (heart rate, oxygen consumption) and perceptual (ratings of perceived exertion, body discomfort) demands of female cricketers during a simulated “The Hundred” protocol.
Twenty female cricketers (age: 19±4.53 years, stature: 167.90±7.28 cm; mass: 67.30±13.51 kg) currently playing for a first-class county cricket club were recruited. The protocol consisted of six sets and was designed to mimic the nonpowerplay phase of a women’s “Hundred” match. Throughout the protocol selected physiological and perceptual responses were recorded.
Heart rate responses increased significantly (P<0.05) from the first set (149±14 beats/min) until the end of the third set (167±10 beats/min). A further significant decrease (P<0.05) was observed between set three (167±10 beats/min) and set six (165±12 beats/min). Oxygen uptake responses increased significantly (P<0.05) from set one (22.06±7.82 mL/kg/min) until set three (26.30±7.58 mL/kg/min). A significant difference (P<0.05) was also observed between set three and all the other sets. Central ratings of perceived exertion increased significantly (P<0.05) throughout the protocol (9±1.83–13±3.17). Body discomfort, results indicated that the quadriceps and calves were the areas that felt the most discomfort during the protocol.
In conclusion, the design of training programs should mimic the demandsof the women?s format of the game and focus on individualised exercise preparation.
The purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of Super High-Intensity Continuous Training (SHCT) on elite team handball players. SHCT is a new approach of aerobic training that combines the advantages of both continuous and interval training methods. The study included 14 professional handball players who are members of the first national handball league team. The participants were trained five times a week over eight weeks using the SHCT method. The training intensity for each athlete was tailored to their individual oxygen consumption. Significant (P<0.001) improvements were obtained in all measured and evaluated indicators of aerobic abilities, including maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), maximum relative oxygen uptake (VO2rel), running speed at which maximum oxygen uptake occurs (VO2max), when comparing the pre-, intermediate, and post-tests, as well as a huge positive effect (η2G reaching from 0.19 to 0.49 and η2p of 0.91). These effects from short cycles of aerobic training have not been previously obtained in studies involving elite and and recreational athletes, whether using continuous or interval training approaches. In addition to the above,SHCT showed several other positive features. As such, we recommend further research into SHCT and encourage its integration into athletic training practices.
This study aimed to determine whether a series of repeated maximal voluntary apnoeas is effective in improving subsequent time trial performance in competitive level track and field athletes.
Seventeen competitive runners volunteered for this study and based on their preferred competitive distance they were placed either in the 200 m (5 male, 4 female) or 1000 m group (3 male, 5 female). On two separate occasions (≤7 days apart), the participants performed a running time-trial that was preceded either by: (i) a standardised warm up (WO) or (ii) a standardised warm up succeeded by five repeated maximal dry static apnoeas (WA). Splenic volume, haematology and cardiovascular parameters were monitor at rest, before and after each time-trial.
WA resulted in a significantly faster performance (27.51±3.49 s; P=0.009) compared with WO (27.96±3.34 s) in the 200 m group, whereas no differences were observed in the 1000 m group (WA, 211.10±26.18 s; WO, 215.82±25.13 s, P=0.120). No differences were noted in splenic volume between WO and WA in either group (P≥0.081). Haemoglobin was significantly elevated after breath-holding in the 200 m (+7 g/dL, P=0.041) but not 1000 m group.
This study demonstrates that five repeated maximal apnoeas are capable of significantly improving a 200 m but not a 1000 m time-trial performance in competitive track and field athletes.
Theoretically, post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) promotes force production and power following heavy resistance training exercises. Resistance training exercises seek to elicit increased force production by preconditioning the muscles during subsequent exercises, such as jumping, throwing, sprinting, and weightlifting. This study aimed to investigate the PAPE effect between barbell back squats (BS) and hexagonal bar deadlifts (HBD) on countermovement jump (CMJ) performance among collegiate basketball players. Eighteen male (with a relative BS one repetition maximum (1RM) of 1.62±0.24 and a relative HBM 1RM of 1.86±0.25) participants were included, who completed a set of 3RM of both exercises in a randomized counterbalanced order before performing a series of CMJs on a force platform at 15 s, 4 min, 8 min, 12 min, 16 min and 20 min post-exercise. A two-way ANOVA with a 7×2 design (time×conditioning activity) was conducted to assess variations between both conditioning activities (CAs) for each dependent variable. No significant differences (all P>0.05) were found between the baseline and the six different jumps, regarding jump height (${\eta }_{p}^{2}$ = 0.035), reactive strength index-modified (${\eta }_{p}^{2}$= 0.026), and peak power output (${\eta }_{p}^{2}$= 0.036) across both exercises. However, there was a moderate positive correlation (P=0.008, r=0.604) between relative BS strength and average CMJ height, P but no significant correlation (P>0.05) was found between relative HBD strength and average CMJ height. Despite previous studies reporting the occurrence of PAPE using a similar 3RM load, this study concludes that careful manipulation of PAPE variables (i.e., training status, intensity, volume, exercise selection, rest intervals, and time of day) is necessary to potentially elicit PAPE to enhance subsequent CMJ performance.
This study examined the impact of integrating eccentric bodyweight exercises (Nordic Hamstring and Single Leg Deadlift) into soccer training, before and after training sessions, on players’ well-being, external load and physical performance over two successive training sessions. Twenty-one male trained players (23.6±3.7 years, playing experience of 13.3±4.01 years) participated in the study. The study spanned two days of the microcycle (MD-4 and MD-3) over four consecutive weeks, during which the players were subjected to two conditions: eccentric training before or after the MD-4 training (pre-strength and post-strength, respectively). The players’ wellness, external load and physical performance (CMJ, 10 m and 30 m-sprint) were assessed in all training sessions. In pre-strength condition, players exhibited a decrease in the CMJ following the eccentric intervention (P=0.02). For the 30 m-sprint, a decline in performance was noted after the soccer training compared to the moments immediately before (P=0.04) and after the eccentric intervention (P=0.002). In the post-strength condition, players reported increased muscle soreness in the following day (MD-3, P=0.03). Additionally, a reduced number of high-intensity accelerations were observed on MD-3 when the eccentric training was performed after MD-4 (P=0.04). The study reveals that jumping and sprinting performance may decrease immediately after eccentric routines. However, while jumping performance may recover after the training, sprinting remains affected. Conversely, conducting eccentric routines after training may influence players’ muscle soreness and physical performance on the following day. This study offers valuable insights for optimizing soccer training schedules that incorporate eccentric routines either before or after regular training sessions.
Inertia-based resistance exercise with flywheels leads to strong acute metabolic responses. However, the metabolic kinetics during a multi-set flywheel squat protocol with increasing loads remains unknown. The aim of the study was to assess the course of blood lactate concentrations (BLC), oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR) and power during a multi-set protocol of flywheel squat training. Seventeen recreationally trained healthy men (24.3±3.8 years, BMI 24.1±2.2, VO2max 49.4±6.9 mL/min/kg) completed 5 sets and 15 repetitions flywheel squats. The BLC (ŋ2=0.932), VO2 (ŋ2=0.899) and HR (ŋ2=0.879) increased significantly over the sets (P<0.05). %HRmax and %VO2max increased significantly from pre to post-loading (P <0.001), reaching a threshold of 80% HRmax after set 2 and 60% VO2max after set 4, respectively. The power parameters PMEAN (ŋ2=0.191), PECC (ŋ2=0.149) and PCON (ŋ2=0.062) showed significant decreases after set 2 (P<0.05). A multi-set flywheel squat protocol with increasing loads leads to high metabolic and cardiorespiratory demands, which appear to increase linearly with an increase in inertial load.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and patellofemoral pain (PFP) continue to show high incidence rates, and poor long term outcomes. Key exercise elements were synthesized into an advanced hip focused exercise strategy and were administered to a sample of female athletes. This study examined the feasibility and impact of a 12-week advanced hip muscle strengthening program on physical performance measures and peak hip muscle torques.
Thirteen female Division 1 collegiate volleyball players attended twelve twice-a-week advanced hip strengthening sessions. Outcome measures included subjective questionnaires of stakeholders, vertical, blocking and approach jumps, and peak isometric concentric and eccentric torque of hip muscles.
Thirteen female athlete participants attended all 24 exercise sessions over the 12-week period, without adverse events, and all 13 participants responded favorably to the 35 question questionnaire, with all participants exceeding the a priori level of>3/5 for perceived value of the intervention strategy. The mean jump scores increased across all three jumps (approach, vertical, blocking) with moderate to large effects noted. Hip extension peak torque increased bilaterally.
The intervention paradigm presented could impact key variables of interest in an athletic population regarding both potential for injury reduction and improved athletic performance.
Discussions held by players during the halftime of a soccer match are widely recognized as influential factors in boosting their involvement and physical activity of soccer players. This study aimed to investigate the impact of learning small-sided games (SSG) through player discussions on decision-making, as well as the technical and tactical skills of young soccer players.
Forty-two U-15 male amateur soccer players were randomly assigned to 6 groups and participated in a study comprising 4 sessions of small-sided games (SSG). Each session consisted of two sets of 15 min each. The SSG sessions were conducted with and without the inclusion of self-regulation of learning. Technical actions (i.e., balls won, balls received, balls lost, shots, and goals) were measured during each set of sessions using a digital camera recorder.
The results showed no significant differences in the main effects of the time, group, session, and group×session×time interactions for most technical actions. However, there was a significant main effect of group observed for shoot action (P=0.021; ηp2=0.102), with a higher number of shoot actions in the co-regulation of learning group than in the self-regulation of learning group.
The self-regulation approach employed by players alone did not lead to significant improvements in technical performance during SSG. Further research is needed to explore additional factors and/or interventions that could potentially enhance the effectiveness of learning through discussions in SSG.
This study had 2 primary aims (1) compare the effects of multi-joint vs. single-joint lower body exercise on regional muscular development of the quadriceps; and (2) compare the effects of exercises performed at different knee-joint angles on hypertrophy of the triceps surae.
Thirty young, resistance-trained participants unilaterally performed a combination of the following lower body exercises: leg press, leg extension, straight-leg toe press, and seated calf raise. The participants’ right legs were randomly allocated to perform 1 of the following 4 conditions: (1) leg press and straight-leg toe press; (2) leg-press and seated calf raise; (3) leg extension and straight-leg toe press; (4) leg extension and seated calf raise. Based on the allocated condition, the contralateral leg performed the other 2 exercises included in the protocol. Training was carried out twice per week on non-consecutive days for 8 weeks.
Point estimates for the rectus femoris outcomes favored the single-joint exercise intervention with posterior probabilities ranging from 0.910≤P≤0.990. In contrast, point estimates for the vastus lateralis outcomes favored the multi-joint exercise intervention with posterior probabilities ranging from 0.875≤P≤0.994. Regarding the triceps surae, the point estimate favored straight-leg plantar flexion for muscle thickness of the medial gastrocnemius (P=0.991), with equivocal results observed for the lateral gastrocnemius and soleus.
Our findings indicate that exercise selection can influence regional hypertrophy of the muscles of the lower limbs and evidence of differences can be measured within 8 weeks.
Establishing the reliability of countermovement jump (CMJ) metrics over multiple weeks can be important in understanding and tracking changes in jump performance over time. However, a limited number of key performance indicators are generally retained for ease of interpretation. Fortunately, CMJ metrics are often highly correlated, which offers the potential to summarize key jump aspects using principal component analysis (PCA).
The objective of this study was to assess and compare the week-to-week (i.e., week 1 vs. week 2, week 2 vs. week 3, etc.) vs. preseason (i.e., nth-week vs. average of the 7-weeks) reliability of CMJ metrics, relative to principal components (PCs).
Thirteen varsity female basketball athletes completed 17 weeks of CMJ testing (i.e., offseason (4 weeks), preseason (7 weeks), and regular season (6 weeks)). The PCA was developed from all data collected, but only results of the preseason PC scores were examined for reliability purposes.
It was found that both methods displayed comparable reliability, such that 11/18 CMJ metrics and 3/6 PCs displayed excellent weekly reliability (ICC≥0.9), while 17/18 of the CMJ metrics and 5/6 of the PCS displayed excellent reliability when assessed longitudinally. PCs 1–4 explained 83% of the variance in the data relating to force measures, braking metrics, jump power measures, and between-limb differences, respectively.
These findings support the use of PCA in routine longitudinal athletic monitoring, as this technique retains valuable performance information and summarizes distinct aspects of the jump, providing a more holistic assessment of performance and indication of injury susceptibility.