Agility is an important skill for both attackers and defenders in invasion sports such as codes o... more Agility is an important skill for both attackers and defenders in invasion sports such as codes of football. On the sporting field, agility requires reacting to a stimulus, often presented by an opponent’s movement, before a change of direction or speed. There is a plethora of research that examines the movement component of agility in isolation, which is described as change-of-direction (COD) ability, and this is thought to underpin agility performance. This opinion article proposes that COD ability should not be researched as the only or primary outcome measure when the objective is to inform agility performance in invasion sports. It is argued that pre-planned COD movements and tests lack ecological validity because they lack perception-action coupling and involve movement out of context from the game. The movement techniques and strength qualities required for the performance of COD tests can be quite different to those required for agility. It is suggested that COD tests can be...
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2007
Purpose:To determine the effects of prolonged simulated tennis on performance and the ergogenic p... more Purpose:To determine the effects of prolonged simulated tennis on performance and the ergogenic potential of caffeine, carbohydrates, and cooling.Methods:Twelve highly trained male tennis players (age 18.3 ± 3.0 y, height 178.8 ± 8.5 cm, body mass 73.95 ± 12.30 kg, mean ± SD) performed 4 simulated matches (2 h 40 min) against a ball machine on an indoor hard court. The counterbalanced experimental trials involved caffeine supplementation (3 mg/kg), carbohydrate supplementation (6% solution), precooling and intermittent cooling, and placebo control. Physiological markers (core temperature, heart rate, blood lactate, and blood glucose), subjective responses (ratings of perceived exertion and thermal sensation), stroke velocity and accuracy, serve kinematics, and tennis-specific perceptual skill quantified the efficacy of interventions.Results:Significant effects of time (P < .01) reflected increased physiological demand, reduced serve velocity and ground-stroke velocity and accurac...
ABSTRACT In determining the effectiveness of sports injury prevention programs (IPP), an assessme... more ABSTRACT In determining the effectiveness of sports injury prevention programs (IPP), an assessment of program fidelity is needed. This includes considering whether the intervention was delivered and adhered to as it was intended. Evaluation of program fidelity prevents incorrect conclusions being made about the effects of an IPP and can provide information on why it was successful, or not. Program fidelity for IPPs in sport has generally been limited to self-reported measures around frequency of participation. However, for exercise-based IPPs, performing the exercises as they were originally prescribed is important to maximise injury prevention benefits. Therefore, observing the actual exercise performance could give important insight when evaluating overall IPP fidelity. The aim of this study was to develop an observational tool for exercise-based IPPs and assess its inter-rater reliability. This was trialled in the context of FootyFirst, an IPP in Australian Football. The essential performance criteria of each FootyFirst exercise were described in terms of their technique, volume and intensity, in line with exercise prescription guidelines. The expert FootyFirst development team were consulted until consensus was reached on details of each exercise. Each criterion was evaluated by observing player performance and responding with a yes/no answer. Community Australian football clubs. Players participating in FootyFirst as part of regular training; two independent raters. Inter-rater reliability of tool and correct performance of FootyFirst exercises. The observational tool was trialled at eight clubs for 70 observations. The raters agreed on 61 observations (K=0.718, P&amp;lt;.001; substantial agreement), of which 41(67%) scored yes for all performance criteria (technique, volume and intensity), indicating the exercise was performed as prescribed. The FootyFirst Observational Tool has high inter-rater reliability. This can be used to monitor the quality of exercise performance when assessing overall program fidelity.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects on volume load (VL) (load × repe... more The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects on volume load (VL) (load × repetitions) of performing paired set (PS) vs. traditional set (TS) training over 3 consecutive sets. After a familiarization session 16 trained men performed 2 testing protocols using 4 repetition maximum loads: TS (3 sets of bench pull followed by 3 sets of bench press performed in approximately 10 minutes) or PS (3 sets of bench pull and 3 sets of bench press performed in an alternating manner in approximately 10 minutes). Bench pull and bench press VL decreased significantly from set 1 to set 2 and from set 2 to set 3 under both the PS and TS conditions (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Bench pull and bench press VL per set were significantly less under TS as compared to PS over all sets, with the exception of the first set (bench pull set 1) (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Session totals for bench pull and bench press VL were significantly less under TS as compared to PS (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Paired set was determined to be more efficient (VL/time) as compared to TS. The data suggest that a 2-minute rest interval between sets (TS), or a 4-minute rest interval between similar sets (PS), may not be adequate to maintain VL. The data further suggest that PS training may be more effective than TS training in terms of VL maintenance and more efficient. Paired set training would appear to be an efficient method of exercise. Practitioners wishing to maximize work completed per unit of time may be well advised to consider PS training.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing traditional set (T... more The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing traditional set (TS) vs. complex set (CS) agonist-antagonist training over 3 consecutive sets, on bench press throw (BPT) throw height (TH), peak velocity (PV), peak power (PP), bench pull volume load (VL), and electromyographic (EMG) activity. Eighteen trained men performed 2 testing protocols: TS comprising 3 sets of Bpull followed by 3 sets of BPT performed in approximately 20 minutes or CS comprising 3 sets of both Bpull and BPT performed in an alternating manner in approximately 10 minutes. Throw height, PV, PP, and EMG activity were not different within, or between, the 2 conditions. Bench pull VL decreased significantly from set 1 to sets 2 and 3, under both conditions. Decreases from set 1 to set 2 were 14.55 +/- 26.11 and 9.07 +/- 13.89% and from set 1 to set 3 were 16.87 +/- 29.90 and 14.17 +/- 18.37% under CS and TS, respectively. There was no difference in VL per set, or session, between the conditions. Although there was no augmentation of the power measures, CS was determined to have approximately twice the efficiency (ouput/time) as compared to TS. Efficiency calculations for VL, TH, PV, and PP are 103.47 kg.min, 26.25 cm.min, 1.98 m.s.min, 890.39 W.min under CS and 54.71 kg.min, 13.02 cm.min, 0.99 m.s.min, 459.28 W.min under TS. Comparison of EMG activity between the protocols suggests the level of neuromuscular fatigue did not differ under the 2 conditions. Complex set training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to efficiency and the maintenance of TH, PV, PP, and VL.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing paired set (PS) vs... more The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing paired set (PS) vs. traditional set (TS) training over 3 consecutive sets on volume load (VL) and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius muscles. Following a familiarization session 16 trained males performed 2 testing protocols using 4 repetition maximum loads: TS (3 sets of bench pull [Bpull] followed by 3 sets of bench press [Bpress] performed in approximately 20 minutes) or PS (3 sets of Bpull and 3 sets of Bpress performed in an alternating manner in approximately 10 minutes). Bpull and Bpress VL decreased significantly from set 1 to set 2 and from set 2 to set 3 under both conditions. There was no difference between VL per set, or over the sessions, between the 2 conditions. PS was determined to be more efficient (VL/time) as compared to TS. EMG activity of the 4 monitored muscles was not different for the 2 conditions or within each condition over the 3 sets. However, there was a significant within-set response in EMG activity in the Bpress exercise. The data suggest that a 4-minute rest interval between sets may not be adequate to maintain VL using either protocol. The data further suggest that PS training may be as effective as TS training in terms of VL maintenance and more effective in terms of efficiency. The comparison of EMG activity between the PS and TS protocols suggests that the level of neuromuscular fatigue does not differ under the 2 conditions. PS training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to VL maintenance and efficiency.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
Agonist-antagonist paired set (APS) training refers to the coupling of agonist and antagonist exe... more Agonist-antagonist paired set (APS) training refers to the coupling of agonist and antagonist exercises, performed in an alternating manner with rest intervals between each set. The purpose of this review is to identify the proposed benefits and possible underlying mechanisms of APS training and to suggest how APS training may be exploited. Furthermore, areas deserving of further research attention will be presented. This review will also suggest a common terminology (i.e., APS training) for describing training modalities that alternate agonist and antagonist exercises. Although somewhat equivocal, evidence exists supporting the use of APS as a means of enhancing short-term power measures. Evidence also exists suggesting APS training is an efficacious and efficient means of developing strength and power. Time-efficient methods of developing strength and power would have benefits for athletes and the general population. Athletes able to spend less time developing strength and power would have more time to devote to other aspects of performance or other unrelated tasks. The general population may be more willing to adhere to less time-consuming resistance training programs that offer similar results, as compared to more time-consuming programs. This review concludes that the practical applicability of APS training in terms of acute performance enhancement is limited. However, the use of APS training as an efficacious and time-effective method for developing strength and power may hold some merit.
Journal of strength and conditioning research, Jan 26, 2018
Feros, SA, Young, WB, and O'Brien, BJ. Relationship between selected physical qualities, bowl... more Feros, SA, Young, WB, and O'Brien, BJ. Relationship between selected physical qualities, bowling kinematics, and pace bowling skill in club-standard cricketers. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-Although strength and conditioning of cricket pace bowlers has become more specialized in recent times, little is understood about the interplay between physical capacities, pace bowling kinematics, and pace bowling skill measures. This study sought to determine these interrelationships. Thirty-one male club-standard pace bowlers completed 3 test sessions on separate occasions 4-7 days apart. The first testing session comprised an 8-over pace bowling assessment, where bowling skill and selected bowling kinematics were measured. A physical test battery was completed over the remaining 2 sessions. Peak and mean ball release (BR) speed were related with 1 repetition maximum pull-up strength (rs = 0.56, p = 0.005) and correlated with 20-m sprint time (rs = -0.42, p = 0.022; rs = -0.37...
Journal of strength and conditioning research, 2017
Young, WB and Murray, MP. Reliability of a field test of defending and attacking agility in Austr... more Young, WB and Murray, MP. Reliability of a field test of defending and attacking agility in Australian football and relationships to reactive strength. J Strength Cond Res 31(2): 509-516, 2017-Defending and attacking agility tests for Australian football do not exist, and it is unknown whether any physical qualities correlate with these types of agility. The purposes of this study were to develop new field tests of defending and attacking agility for Australian Rules football, to determine whether they were reliable, and to describe the relationship between the agility tests to determine their specificity. Because the reactive strength (RS) of the lower limb muscles has been previously correlated with change-of-direction speed, we also investigated the relationship between this quality and the agility tests. Nineteen male competitive recreational-level Australian Rules football players were assessed on the agility tests and a drop jump test to assess RS. Interday and interrater reli...
Objective:To determine the relationship between lumbopelvic (LP) stabilization strength and pelvi... more Objective:To determine the relationship between lumbopelvic (LP) stabilization strength and pelvic motion during running.Design:Runners were assessed for pelvic motion and undertook an LP stabilization strength test.Participants:Sixteen elite male middle- and long-distance runners.interventions:Pelvis kinematics were assessed while subjects ran at 5 m/s on a treadmill.Main Outcome Measures:Angular pelvis displacement was divided into 3 axes of rotation: pelvic tilt, obliquity, and rotation. LP stabilization strength was the capacity to resist increasing static loads applied to each leg and maintain a neutral LP zone. Intercorrelations were calculated for all measures of pelvic motion and LP stabilization strength.Results:There were no significant relationships found among any of the variables (P > .05). However, the LP stabilization strength test possessed good interday reliability.Conclusions:The relationship between pelvic motion and muscle function should be studied under a va...
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 02640410903365677, Dec 1, 2009
The objective of this study was to examine the chronic effects on strength and power of performin... more The objective of this study was to examine the chronic effects on strength and power of performing complex versus traditional set training over eight weeks. Fifteen trained males were assessed for throw height, peak velocity, and peak power in the bench press throw and one-repetition maximum (1-RM) in the bench press and bench pull exercises, before and after the eight-week programme. The traditional set group performed the pulling before the pushing exercise sets, whereas the complex set group alternated pulling and pushing sets. The complex set training sessions were completed in approximately half the time. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was monitored during both test sessions in an attempt to determine if it was affected as a result of the training programme. Although there were no differences in the dependent variables between the two conditions, bench pull and bench press 1-RM increased significantly under the complex set condition and peak power increased significantly under the traditional set condition. Effect size statistics suggested that the complex set was more time-efficient than the traditional set condition with respect to development of 1-RM bench pull and bench press, peak velocity and peak power. The EMG activity was not affected. Complex set training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to efficiency and strength development.
Journal of science and medicine in sport / Sports Medicine Australia, 2016
Injury prevention exercise programmes for amateur soccer have gained considerable attention, but ... more Injury prevention exercise programmes for amateur soccer have gained considerable attention, but little is known about their relevance and adaptability to professional soccer settings. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the delivery and content of injury prevention exercise programmes used by professional youth soccer teams, compared to the industry standard injury prevention exercise programme for soccer, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association's FIFA 11+. The second aim was to document specific challenges to implementing injury prevention exercise programmes in this context. Prospective observational study. The participants were soccer coaches, fitness coaches and physiotherapists (n=18) from four teams in a professional youth soccer academy. Each team's chosen injury prevention exercise programmes were observed weekly across an entire soccer season (160 sessions). The delivery and content of the programmes were documented on a standardised worksheet...
Agility is an important skill for both attackers and defenders in invasion sports such as codes o... more Agility is an important skill for both attackers and defenders in invasion sports such as codes of football. On the sporting field, agility requires reacting to a stimulus, often presented by an opponent’s movement, before a change of direction or speed. There is a plethora of research that examines the movement component of agility in isolation, which is described as change-of-direction (COD) ability, and this is thought to underpin agility performance. This opinion article proposes that COD ability should not be researched as the only or primary outcome measure when the objective is to inform agility performance in invasion sports. It is argued that pre-planned COD movements and tests lack ecological validity because they lack perception-action coupling and involve movement out of context from the game. The movement techniques and strength qualities required for the performance of COD tests can be quite different to those required for agility. It is suggested that COD tests can be...
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2007
Purpose:To determine the effects of prolonged simulated tennis on performance and the ergogenic p... more Purpose:To determine the effects of prolonged simulated tennis on performance and the ergogenic potential of caffeine, carbohydrates, and cooling.Methods:Twelve highly trained male tennis players (age 18.3 ± 3.0 y, height 178.8 ± 8.5 cm, body mass 73.95 ± 12.30 kg, mean ± SD) performed 4 simulated matches (2 h 40 min) against a ball machine on an indoor hard court. The counterbalanced experimental trials involved caffeine supplementation (3 mg/kg), carbohydrate supplementation (6% solution), precooling and intermittent cooling, and placebo control. Physiological markers (core temperature, heart rate, blood lactate, and blood glucose), subjective responses (ratings of perceived exertion and thermal sensation), stroke velocity and accuracy, serve kinematics, and tennis-specific perceptual skill quantified the efficacy of interventions.Results:Significant effects of time (P < .01) reflected increased physiological demand, reduced serve velocity and ground-stroke velocity and accurac...
ABSTRACT In determining the effectiveness of sports injury prevention programs (IPP), an assessme... more ABSTRACT In determining the effectiveness of sports injury prevention programs (IPP), an assessment of program fidelity is needed. This includes considering whether the intervention was delivered and adhered to as it was intended. Evaluation of program fidelity prevents incorrect conclusions being made about the effects of an IPP and can provide information on why it was successful, or not. Program fidelity for IPPs in sport has generally been limited to self-reported measures around frequency of participation. However, for exercise-based IPPs, performing the exercises as they were originally prescribed is important to maximise injury prevention benefits. Therefore, observing the actual exercise performance could give important insight when evaluating overall IPP fidelity. The aim of this study was to develop an observational tool for exercise-based IPPs and assess its inter-rater reliability. This was trialled in the context of FootyFirst, an IPP in Australian Football. The essential performance criteria of each FootyFirst exercise were described in terms of their technique, volume and intensity, in line with exercise prescription guidelines. The expert FootyFirst development team were consulted until consensus was reached on details of each exercise. Each criterion was evaluated by observing player performance and responding with a yes/no answer. Community Australian football clubs. Players participating in FootyFirst as part of regular training; two independent raters. Inter-rater reliability of tool and correct performance of FootyFirst exercises. The observational tool was trialled at eight clubs for 70 observations. The raters agreed on 61 observations (K=0.718, P&amp;lt;.001; substantial agreement), of which 41(67%) scored yes for all performance criteria (technique, volume and intensity), indicating the exercise was performed as prescribed. The FootyFirst Observational Tool has high inter-rater reliability. This can be used to monitor the quality of exercise performance when assessing overall program fidelity.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects on volume load (VL) (load × repe... more The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects on volume load (VL) (load × repetitions) of performing paired set (PS) vs. traditional set (TS) training over 3 consecutive sets. After a familiarization session 16 trained men performed 2 testing protocols using 4 repetition maximum loads: TS (3 sets of bench pull followed by 3 sets of bench press performed in approximately 10 minutes) or PS (3 sets of bench pull and 3 sets of bench press performed in an alternating manner in approximately 10 minutes). Bench pull and bench press VL decreased significantly from set 1 to set 2 and from set 2 to set 3 under both the PS and TS conditions (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Bench pull and bench press VL per set were significantly less under TS as compared to PS over all sets, with the exception of the first set (bench pull set 1) (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Session totals for bench pull and bench press VL were significantly less under TS as compared to PS (p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Paired set was determined to be more efficient (VL/time) as compared to TS. The data suggest that a 2-minute rest interval between sets (TS), or a 4-minute rest interval between similar sets (PS), may not be adequate to maintain VL. The data further suggest that PS training may be more effective than TS training in terms of VL maintenance and more efficient. Paired set training would appear to be an efficient method of exercise. Practitioners wishing to maximize work completed per unit of time may be well advised to consider PS training.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing traditional set (T... more The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing traditional set (TS) vs. complex set (CS) agonist-antagonist training over 3 consecutive sets, on bench press throw (BPT) throw height (TH), peak velocity (PV), peak power (PP), bench pull volume load (VL), and electromyographic (EMG) activity. Eighteen trained men performed 2 testing protocols: TS comprising 3 sets of Bpull followed by 3 sets of BPT performed in approximately 20 minutes or CS comprising 3 sets of both Bpull and BPT performed in an alternating manner in approximately 10 minutes. Throw height, PV, PP, and EMG activity were not different within, or between, the 2 conditions. Bench pull VL decreased significantly from set 1 to sets 2 and 3, under both conditions. Decreases from set 1 to set 2 were 14.55 +/- 26.11 and 9.07 +/- 13.89% and from set 1 to set 3 were 16.87 +/- 29.90 and 14.17 +/- 18.37% under CS and TS, respectively. There was no difference in VL per set, or session, between the conditions. Although there was no augmentation of the power measures, CS was determined to have approximately twice the efficiency (ouput/time) as compared to TS. Efficiency calculations for VL, TH, PV, and PP are 103.47 kg.min, 26.25 cm.min, 1.98 m.s.min, 890.39 W.min under CS and 54.71 kg.min, 13.02 cm.min, 0.99 m.s.min, 459.28 W.min under TS. Comparison of EMG activity between the protocols suggests the level of neuromuscular fatigue did not differ under the 2 conditions. Complex set training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to efficiency and the maintenance of TH, PV, PP, and VL.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing paired set (PS) vs... more The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of performing paired set (PS) vs. traditional set (TS) training over 3 consecutive sets on volume load (VL) and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius muscles. Following a familiarization session 16 trained males performed 2 testing protocols using 4 repetition maximum loads: TS (3 sets of bench pull [Bpull] followed by 3 sets of bench press [Bpress] performed in approximately 20 minutes) or PS (3 sets of Bpull and 3 sets of Bpress performed in an alternating manner in approximately 10 minutes). Bpull and Bpress VL decreased significantly from set 1 to set 2 and from set 2 to set 3 under both conditions. There was no difference between VL per set, or over the sessions, between the 2 conditions. PS was determined to be more efficient (VL/time) as compared to TS. EMG activity of the 4 monitored muscles was not different for the 2 conditions or within each condition over the 3 sets. However, there was a significant within-set response in EMG activity in the Bpress exercise. The data suggest that a 4-minute rest interval between sets may not be adequate to maintain VL using either protocol. The data further suggest that PS training may be as effective as TS training in terms of VL maintenance and more effective in terms of efficiency. The comparison of EMG activity between the PS and TS protocols suggests that the level of neuromuscular fatigue does not differ under the 2 conditions. PS training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to VL maintenance and efficiency.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010
Agonist-antagonist paired set (APS) training refers to the coupling of agonist and antagonist exe... more Agonist-antagonist paired set (APS) training refers to the coupling of agonist and antagonist exercises, performed in an alternating manner with rest intervals between each set. The purpose of this review is to identify the proposed benefits and possible underlying mechanisms of APS training and to suggest how APS training may be exploited. Furthermore, areas deserving of further research attention will be presented. This review will also suggest a common terminology (i.e., APS training) for describing training modalities that alternate agonist and antagonist exercises. Although somewhat equivocal, evidence exists supporting the use of APS as a means of enhancing short-term power measures. Evidence also exists suggesting APS training is an efficacious and efficient means of developing strength and power. Time-efficient methods of developing strength and power would have benefits for athletes and the general population. Athletes able to spend less time developing strength and power would have more time to devote to other aspects of performance or other unrelated tasks. The general population may be more willing to adhere to less time-consuming resistance training programs that offer similar results, as compared to more time-consuming programs. This review concludes that the practical applicability of APS training in terms of acute performance enhancement is limited. However, the use of APS training as an efficacious and time-effective method for developing strength and power may hold some merit.
Journal of strength and conditioning research, Jan 26, 2018
Feros, SA, Young, WB, and O'Brien, BJ. Relationship between selected physical qualities, bowl... more Feros, SA, Young, WB, and O'Brien, BJ. Relationship between selected physical qualities, bowling kinematics, and pace bowling skill in club-standard cricketers. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-Although strength and conditioning of cricket pace bowlers has become more specialized in recent times, little is understood about the interplay between physical capacities, pace bowling kinematics, and pace bowling skill measures. This study sought to determine these interrelationships. Thirty-one male club-standard pace bowlers completed 3 test sessions on separate occasions 4-7 days apart. The first testing session comprised an 8-over pace bowling assessment, where bowling skill and selected bowling kinematics were measured. A physical test battery was completed over the remaining 2 sessions. Peak and mean ball release (BR) speed were related with 1 repetition maximum pull-up strength (rs = 0.56, p = 0.005) and correlated with 20-m sprint time (rs = -0.42, p = 0.022; rs = -0.37...
Journal of strength and conditioning research, 2017
Young, WB and Murray, MP. Reliability of a field test of defending and attacking agility in Austr... more Young, WB and Murray, MP. Reliability of a field test of defending and attacking agility in Australian football and relationships to reactive strength. J Strength Cond Res 31(2): 509-516, 2017-Defending and attacking agility tests for Australian football do not exist, and it is unknown whether any physical qualities correlate with these types of agility. The purposes of this study were to develop new field tests of defending and attacking agility for Australian Rules football, to determine whether they were reliable, and to describe the relationship between the agility tests to determine their specificity. Because the reactive strength (RS) of the lower limb muscles has been previously correlated with change-of-direction speed, we also investigated the relationship between this quality and the agility tests. Nineteen male competitive recreational-level Australian Rules football players were assessed on the agility tests and a drop jump test to assess RS. Interday and interrater reli...
Objective:To determine the relationship between lumbopelvic (LP) stabilization strength and pelvi... more Objective:To determine the relationship between lumbopelvic (LP) stabilization strength and pelvic motion during running.Design:Runners were assessed for pelvic motion and undertook an LP stabilization strength test.Participants:Sixteen elite male middle- and long-distance runners.interventions:Pelvis kinematics were assessed while subjects ran at 5 m/s on a treadmill.Main Outcome Measures:Angular pelvis displacement was divided into 3 axes of rotation: pelvic tilt, obliquity, and rotation. LP stabilization strength was the capacity to resist increasing static loads applied to each leg and maintain a neutral LP zone. Intercorrelations were calculated for all measures of pelvic motion and LP stabilization strength.Results:There were no significant relationships found among any of the variables (P > .05). However, the LP stabilization strength test possessed good interday reliability.Conclusions:The relationship between pelvic motion and muscle function should be studied under a va...
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 02640410903365677, Dec 1, 2009
The objective of this study was to examine the chronic effects on strength and power of performin... more The objective of this study was to examine the chronic effects on strength and power of performing complex versus traditional set training over eight weeks. Fifteen trained males were assessed for throw height, peak velocity, and peak power in the bench press throw and one-repetition maximum (1-RM) in the bench press and bench pull exercises, before and after the eight-week programme. The traditional set group performed the pulling before the pushing exercise sets, whereas the complex set group alternated pulling and pushing sets. The complex set training sessions were completed in approximately half the time. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was monitored during both test sessions in an attempt to determine if it was affected as a result of the training programme. Although there were no differences in the dependent variables between the two conditions, bench pull and bench press 1-RM increased significantly under the complex set condition and peak power increased significantly under the traditional set condition. Effect size statistics suggested that the complex set was more time-efficient than the traditional set condition with respect to development of 1-RM bench pull and bench press, peak velocity and peak power. The EMG activity was not affected. Complex set training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to efficiency and strength development.
Journal of science and medicine in sport / Sports Medicine Australia, 2016
Injury prevention exercise programmes for amateur soccer have gained considerable attention, but ... more Injury prevention exercise programmes for amateur soccer have gained considerable attention, but little is known about their relevance and adaptability to professional soccer settings. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the delivery and content of injury prevention exercise programmes used by professional youth soccer teams, compared to the industry standard injury prevention exercise programme for soccer, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association's FIFA 11+. The second aim was to document specific challenges to implementing injury prevention exercise programmes in this context. Prospective observational study. The participants were soccer coaches, fitness coaches and physiotherapists (n=18) from four teams in a professional youth soccer academy. Each team's chosen injury prevention exercise programmes were observed weekly across an entire soccer season (160 sessions). The delivery and content of the programmes were documented on a standardised worksheet...
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