Seasonal variation of leg stiffness in professional Australian rules footballers

Pruyn, EC; Watsford, ML; Murphy, AJ; Pine, MJ; Spurrs, RW; Cameron, ML; Johnston, RJ

Seasonal variation of leg stiffness in professional Australian rules footballers

Pruyn, EC

Watsford, ML

Murphy, AJ Pine, MJ Spurrs, RW Cameron, ML Johnston, RJ

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2013, 27 (7), pp. 1775 - 1779
Issue Date:: 2013-07-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Pruyn, EC https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7260-6541	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Watsford, ML https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4569-6377	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Murphy, AJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Pine, MJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Spurrs, RW	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cameron, ML	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Johnston, RJ	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-07-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2013, 27 (7), pp. 1775 - 1779	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1064-8011	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28515
dc.description.abstract	Leg stiffness (Kleg) is an important component to consider in both performance and injury in the Australian Football League (AFL). Kleg has not yet been examined longitudinally throughout an entire AFL season. A unilateral hop test was used to measure Kleg in the left and right legs of 25 professional AFL players (24.9 ± 4.3 years, 86.8 ± 8.1 kg, 187.0 ± 7.3 cm). Kleg was assessed at least once permonth for each participant. Furthermore, the session rate of perceived exertion method was used to quantify the average weekly training loads experienced by the participants. One-way analysis of variance revealed no significant difference between the average monthly bilateral Kleg scores; however, average weekly training loads varied between 1,400 and 2,000 AU, depending on the training period. Thirteen participants were randomly selected to perform hop tests on 2 consecutive weeks. Reliability tests revealed these measurements to have a typical error of the measurement of 4.15% and an intraclass correlation of 0.8, proving the methods to be reliable. Although training intensity appears to vary, Kleg does not fluctuate significantly across an entire AFL season, suggesting that weekly training loads between 1,400 and 2,000 AU may be prescribed without the risk of fluctuating stiffness levels. © 2013 National Strength and Conditioning Association.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1519/JSC.0b013e318273690f	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Sport Sciences	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Leg	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Athletic Injuries	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Leg Injuries	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Exercise Test	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Body Mass Index	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Seasons	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Muscle Tonus	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Football	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult	en_US
dc.title	Seasonal variation of leg stiffness in professional Australian rules footballers	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	7	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	27	en_US
utslib.for	1116 Medical Physiology	en_US
utslib.for	1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Sports and Exercise Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	7	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	27	en_US

Abstract:

Leg stiffness (Kleg) is an important component to consider in both performance and injury in the Australian Football League (AFL). Kleg has not yet been examined longitudinally throughout an entire AFL season. A unilateral hop test was used to measure Kleg in the left and right legs of 25 professional AFL players (24.9 ± 4.3 years, 86.8 ± 8.1 kg, 187.0 ± 7.3 cm). Kleg was assessed at least once permonth for each participant. Furthermore, the session rate of perceived exertion method was used to quantify the average weekly training loads experienced by the participants. One-way analysis of variance revealed no significant difference between the average monthly bilateral Kleg scores; however, average weekly training loads varied between 1,400 and 2,000 AU, depending on the training period. Thirteen participants were randomly selected to perform hop tests on 2 consecutive weeks. Reliability tests revealed these measurements to have a typical error of the measurement of 4.15% and an intraclass correlation of 0.8, proving the methods to be reliable. Although training intensity appears to vary, Kleg does not fluctuate significantly across an entire AFL season, suggesting that weekly training loads between 1,400 and 2,000 AU may be prescribed without the risk of fluctuating stiffness levels. © 2013 National Strength and Conditioning Association.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28515