The effects of a combined resisted jump training and rugby-conditioning program on selected physical, motor ability and anthropometric components of rugby players

The effects of a combined resisted jump

training and rugby-conditioning program on

selected physical, motor ability and

anthropometric components of rugby players

JJ Oosthuizen

21532753

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree Magister Artium in Sport Sciences at the Potchefstroom

Campus of the North-West University

Supervisor: Dr. B Coetzee

December 2013

Table contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES xii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 2 TITLE PAGE 2 PROBLEM STATEMENT 2 OBJECTIVES 4 HYPOTHESES 5 STRUCTURE OF DISSERTATION 5 REFERENCES 6 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW: EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS ON THE PHYSICAL, MOTOR ABILITY AND ANTHROPOMETRIC COMPONENTS OF SUBJECTS

8

TITLE PAGE 9

1. INTRODUCTION 11

2. METHOD OF RESEARCH 13

3. TYPES OF PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS 13 3.1 LAND-BASED PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS 13 3.1.1 COMPLEX PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM 13 3.1.2 RESISTIVE JUMP TRAINING PROGRAM 14 3.1.3 RESISTANCE JUMP TRAINING PROGRAM 14 3.1.4 COMPLEX WEIGHT LIFTING RESISTANCE TRAINING PROGRAM 14 3.1.5 BODY WEIGHT JUMPING PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM 15 3.2 AQUATIC-BASED PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS 15

Table contents

4. EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS ON THE PHYSICAL, MOTOR ABILITY AND ANTHROPOMETRIC COMPONENTS OF SUBJECTS

15

4.1 EFFECTS OF PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS ALONE ON THE PHYSICAL, MOTOR ABILITY AND ANTHROPOMETRIC COMPONENTS OF SUBJECTS

15

4.1.1 AQUATIC-VERSUS LAND-BASED PLYOMETRIC PROGRAM ALONE 35 4.1.2 LOWER BODY PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM/EXERCISES

ALONE

35

4.1.3 RESISTANCE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ALONE 38 4.1.4 RESISTANCE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING WITH INCREASED WEIGHT

VERSUS RESISTANCE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING WITH THE SAME

WEIGHT

38

4.1.5 PLYOMETRIC TRAINING VERSUS A SPRINT TRAINING PROGRAM ALONE

38

4.1.6 PLYOMETRIC TRAINING VERSUS A RESISTIVE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM ALONE

39

4.1.7 AQUATIC PLYOMETRIC VERSUS AQUATIC PLYOMETRIC WITH WEIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM ALONE

39

4.1.8 PLYOMETRIC TRAINING VERSUS A NON-PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM ALONE

39

4.1.9 RESISTANCE PLYOMETRIC VERSUS PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ALONE

40

4.2 EFFECTS OF COMBINED PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM ON THE PHYSICAL, MOTOR ABILITY AND ANTHROPOMETRIC COMPONENTS OF SUBJECTS

40

4.2.1 COMBINED PLYOMETRIC AND RESISTANCE TRAINING VERSUS PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ALONE

58

4.2.2 COMBINED RESISTANCE AND PLYOMETRIC VERSUS RESISTANCE OR PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ALONE

58

4.2.3 COMBINED ELECTROMYOSTIMULATION (EMS) AND PLYOMETRIC

VERSUS EMS OR PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ALONE

59

Table contents

4.2.4 COMBINED HIGH WEIGHT RESISTANCE AND PLYOMETRIC TRAINING VERSUS COMBINED LOW WEIGHT RESISTANCE AND PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

59

4.2.5 COMBINED RUNNING AND PLYOMETRIC VERSUS RUNNING TRAINING ALONE

59

4.2.6 COMBINED RESISTANCE, PLYOMETRIC AND GOLF VERSUS A REGULAR GOLF TRAINING PROGRAM

59

4.2.7 COMBINED SPORT SPECIFIC, RESISTANCE AND PLYOMETRIC

VERSUS COMBINED SPORT-SPECIFIC AND RESISTANCE TRAINING

60

4.2.8 COMBINED RESISTANCE AND RESISTIVE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

VERSUS COMBINED RESISTANCE AND NORMAL PLYOMETRIC

TRAINING

60

4.2.9 PLYOMETRIC TRAINING AS A POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION STRATEGY

60

5. GUIDLINES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCCESSFUL PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS

62

6. SHOTCOMINGS WITH REGARD TO THE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ALONE AND THE COMBINED PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS

65

6.1. PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS ALONE 65 6.2 COMBINED PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAMS 67

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 68

8. REFERENCES 72

CHAPTER 3

THE EFFECTS OF A COMBINED RESISTED JUMP TRAINING AND RUGBY CONDITIONING PROGRAM ON SELECTED PHYSICAL, MOTOR ABILITY AND ANTHROPOMETRIC COMPONENTS OF RUGBY PLAYERS

81

TITLE PAGE 82

BLIND TITLE PAGE 84

ABSTRACT 85

INTRODUCTION 86

METHODS 88

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM 88 iii

Table contents

SUBJECTS 89

TRAINING 90

TESTING PROCEDURES 93

ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS 93

PHYSICAL AND MOTOR ABILITY COMPONENTS 94

FLEXIBILITY TESTS 94

EXPLOSIVE POWER, SPEED AND ACCELERATION, AGILITY AND LEG STRENGTH TESTS 95 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 97 RESULTS 97 DISCUSSION 105 PRACTICAL APLICCATIONS 110 REFERENCES 110 CHAPTER 4

ACUTE EFFECTS OF A RESISTED COMPARED TO A NORMAL JUMP TRAINING SESSION ON SELECTED PHYSICAL AND MOTOR ABILITY COMPONENTS OF UNIVERSITY-LEVEL RUGBY PLAYERS

115

TITLE PAGE 116

BLIND TITLE PAGE 118

ABSTRACT 119

INTRODUCTION 120

MATERIALS AND METHODS 122

SUBJECTS 122

STUDY DESIGN 123

ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS 124

FLEXIBILITY TESTS 124

THE VERTICAL JUMP TEST (VJT) 125

5-10- AND 20 M SPEED TEST 125

ILLINOIS AGILITY RUN TEST (IART) 126

THE 6RM (REPETITION MAXIMUM) SMITH MACHINE SQUAT TEST (6RM-SMST)

126

JUMP TRAINING SESSIONS 127

Table contents STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 127 RESULTS 127 DISCUSSION 131 REFERENCES 136 CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

141

TITLE PAGE 142

1. SUMMARY 142

2. CONCLUSIONS 145

3. LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 146

APPENDIX 148

TITLE PAGE 149

APPENDIX A - GENERAL INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE, INFORMED CONSENT AND RAW DATA FORMS FOR THE LONG-TERM VERTIMAX PROJECT

150

APPENDIX B - GENERAL INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE, INFORMED CONSENT AND RAW DATA FORMS FOR THE ACUTE VERTIMAX PROJECT

162

APPENDIX C - SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS AND ARTICLE EXAMPLES

174

Acknowledgement

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to the following special people for all their assistance, guidance and support during the last couple of years:

To my Heavenly Father, thank you for guiding and assisting me through tough times. Your abundand love and forgiveness gave me strength when I had none.

To my study leader and mentor, Ben Coetzee. Thank you for all the guidance, motivation and support during all my studies, I sincerely appreciate all the hard work and long hours you put in and never giving up on me.

To my wife, thank you for your support, understanding and unconditional love, I truly love you. To Prof. Greyvenstein. Thank you for your quick feedback and guidance on the launguage editing, it is really appreciated.

To Petra, thank for your willingness and assistance in formatting the dissertation.

Lastly thank you to all my friends and family for all your support and motivation. Thank you for always being there to give advice and help when needed.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO ALL TO THE

GLORY OF GOD

1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

Declaration

DECLARATION

The co-author of the two articles, which form part of this dissertation, Dr. Ben Coetzee (Supervisor), hereby gives permission to the candidate, Mr. Cobus Oosthuizen to include the two articles as part of a Master’s dissertation. The contrubution (advisory and supportive) of the co-author was kept within reasonable limits, thereby enabling the candidate to submit this dissertation for examination purposes. This dissertation, therefore, serves as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts degree in Sport Science within the Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation Focus Area at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University.

____________________________ Dr. Ben Coetzee

Supervisor and co-author

Summary

SUMMARY

Plyometrics is primarily used by coaches and sport scientists to improve explosive power among athletes who participate in dynamic, high intensity type of sports. One of the plyometric-related training methods that has received attention in recent years, is loaded or resistance (resistive) jump training. Limited research does, however, exist with regard to the benefits and use of this training method as well as in conjunction with other training methods, especially among team sport participants. It is against this background that the research objectives of this study were firstly, to examine the effects of a 4-week combined rugby-conditioning and resisted jump training program compared to a combined rugby-conditioning and normal jump training program, on selected physical, motor ability and anthropometric components of university-level rugby players. The second objective was to examine the acute effects of a resisted compared to a normal jump training session on selected physical and motor ability components of university-level rugby players.

Thirty rugby players (age: 19.60 ± 0.79 years) from the first and second u/19 and u/21 rugby teams of a university in South Africa were randomly selected to participate in the first part of study. For the second part of the study thirty senior rugby players (1st and 2nd senior teams) (age: 21.78 ± 1.86 years) of the Rugby Institute at a university in South Africa were randomly selected to participate in the study. For both studies the thirty players were in turn randomly divided into two groups of fifteen players each. One group formed the experimental and the other group the control group. The first objective was tested by subjecting the players to a 4-week combined sport-specific and resisted plyometric training program (experimental group) or a combined sport-specific and normal plyometric training program to investigate the adaptations of body composition, lower body flexibility, explosive leg power, speed, agility and leg strength. After a 10-week period (“wash-out period”) during which subjects continued with their normal rugby-conditioning program, the same testing procedures as before, were executed by following a crossover design. In order to test the second objective of the study players’ body weight and height were firstly measured after which they were subjected to a thorough warm-up, followed by the execution of the flexibility;Vertical Jump Test (VJT); 5-, 10- and 20 m speed tests; the Illinois Agility Run Test (IART) and the 6RM (repetition maximum) Smith Machine Squat Test (6RM-SMST). The experimental group was subject to the resisted jump training session on the Vertimax whereas the control group executed the same exercises on the floor. Directly after the training session each of

Summary

the players again completed the test battery. After the first week, a crossover design was implemented.

Although the overall study (independent t-test and main effect ANOVA) results of the first study suggested that the experimental group experienced more positive changes, especially with regard to the body fat, skeletal mass and somatotype-related anthropometric and flexibility-related measurements, only relaxed upper-arm girth, ectomorphy, left Active-straight-leg-raise-test and the left Modified Thomas Quadriceps Test values showed significant differences (p < 0.05) when the two groups of players were compared. Although the experimental group demonstrated significantly better average scores in the majority of the last-mentioned components, this group experienced a significantly higher reduction in relaxed upper-arm girth due to the conditioning program than the control group. The main effect ANOVA results of the acute study showed that no significant differences were obtained for any of the measured components between an acute resisted and normal jump training session.

To conclude, the study revealed that a 4-week combined rugby-conditioning and resisted jump training program (experimental group) did not benefit university-level rugby players significantly more with regard to selected physical, motor ability and anthropometric components than a combined rugby-conditioning and normal jump training program (control group). Furthermore, despite the fact that the acute resisted and normal jump training exercises met all the requirements to produce post-activation potentiation, the study results showed that these exercise sessions did not lead to any significant acute changes in the physical and motor ability components of university-level rugby players.

Keywords: plyometrics, explosive power, resisted jump training, rugby union

Opsomming

OPSOMMING

Pliometrie word hoofsaaklik deur afrigters en Sportwetenskaplikes gebruik om eksplosiewe krag by atlete wat aan dinamiese, hoë-intensiteit tipe sportsoorte deelneem, te verbeter. Een van die pliometrie-verbandhoudende metodes wat aandag oor die afgelope jare ontvang het, is beladings- of weerstands-sprongoefeninge. Beperkte navorsing wat die voordele en gebruik van hierdie inoefeningsmetode sowel as in samehang met ander inoefeningsmetodes, veral onder spansportsoortdeelnemers ondersoek het, bestaan egter. Dit is teen hierdie agtergrond dat die navorsingsdoelwitte van hierdie studie was om eerstens die effekte van ʼn 4-week gekombineerde rugby-kondisionerings- en weerstands-sprong-inoefeningsprogram vergeleke met ʼn gekombineerde rugby-kondisionerings- en normale sprong-inoefeningsprogram op geselekteerde fisieke, motoriese en antropometriese komponente van universiteitsvlak rugbyspelers te ondersoek. Die tweede doelwit was om die akute effekte van ʼn weerstands- vergeleke met ʼn normale sprong-inoefeningsessie op geselekteerde fisieke en motoriese komponente van universiteitsvlak rugbyspelers te ondersoek.

Dertig rugbyspelers (ouderdom: 19.60 ± 0.79 jaar) van die eerste en tweede o/19 en o/21 rugbyspanne van ʼn universiteit in Suid-Afrika is ewekansig gekies om deel te neem in die eerste deel van studie. Vir die tweede deel van die studie, is dertig senior rugbyspelers (1ste en 2de senior spanne) (ouderdom: 21.78 ± 1.86 jaar) van die Rugby-instituut aan ʼn universiteit in Suid-Afrika ewekansig gekies om deel te neem aan die studie. Vir beide studies is die dertig spelers op hul beurt ewekansig in twee groepe van vyftien spelers elk, verdeel. Een groep het die eksperimentele en die ander groep die kontrolegroep gevorm. Die eerste doelwit is getoets deur die spelers te onderwerp aan ʼn 4-week gekombineerde sport-spesifieke en weerstands-pliometrie-inoefeningsprogram (eksperimentele groep) of ʼn gekombineerde sport-spesifieke en normale pliometrie-inoefeningsprogram om daardeur die aanpassings van liggaamsamestelling, onderste ledemaat-soepelheid, eksplosiewe beenkrag, spoed, ratsheid en beenkrag te ondersoek. Na ʼn 10-week tydperk (“uitwasperiode”) waartydens die deelnemers voort gegaan het met hul normale rugbykondisioneringsprogram is dieselfde toetsprosedures as voorheen, herhaal deur ʼn oorkruis-ontwerp te volg. Ten einde die tweede doelwit van die studie te toets, is spelers se liggaammassa en -lengte eerstens gemeet waarna hulle onderwerp is aan ʼn deeglike opwarming, gevolg deur die uitvoering van die soepelheids-, vertikale sprongtoets (VST); 5-, 10- en 20 m-spoedtoetse; die Illinois Agility Run Toets (IART) en die 6RM (repetisie-maksimum) Smith-masjien-squattoets

Opsomming

(6RM-SMST). Die eksperimentele groep is onderwerp aan ʼn weerstand- sprong-inoefeningsessie op die Vertimax terwyl die kontrolegroep dieselfde oefeninge op die vloer uitgevoer het. Direk na afloop van die oefeninge het elk van die spelers weer die toetsbattery voltooi. Na die eerste week van toetsing, is ʼn oorkruisontwerp geïmplementeer.

Hoewel die algehele studie- (onafhanklike t-toets en die belangrikste effek ANOVA) resultate van die eerste studie getoon het dat die eksperimentele groep meer positiewe veranderinge, veral met betrekking tot die liggaamsvet, skeletale massa en somatotipe-verwante antropometriese en soepelheidsverwante metings getoon het, het slegs die ontspanne bo-armomtrek-, ektomorfie-, linker-Aktiewe-reguit-been-opligtoets- en die linker-Gewysigde Thomas Quadriceps-toets-waardes betekenisvolle verskille (p < 0.05) getoon met ʼn vergelyking tussen die twee groepe spelers. Alhoewel die eksperimentele groep aansienlik beter gemiddelde tellings in die meerderheid van die laasgenoemde komponente getoon het, het dié groep ʼn betekenisvolle hoër vermindering in ontspanne bo-armomtrek as gevolg van die kondisioneringsprogram as die kontrolegroep getoon. Die resultate van die primêre effekte ANOVA van die akute studie het getoon dat geen betekenisvolle verskille gevind is vir enige van die komponente wat gemeet is tussen die akute weerstands- en normale sprong-inoefeningsessie nie.

Om af te sluit, die studie het getoon dat ʼn 4-week gekombineerde rugby-kondisionerings- en weerstands-pliometrie-inoefeningsprogram (eksperimentele groep) nie die universiteitsvlak rugbyspelers betekenisvol meer met betrekking tot die geselekteerde fisieke, motoriese en antropometriese komponente bevoordeel het as ʼn rugby-kondisionerings- en normale pliometrie-inoefeningsprogram (kontrole-groep). Verder, ten spyte van die feit dat die akute weerstands- en normale sprong-oefeninge aan al die vereistes vir die verkryging van post-aktivering potensiëring voldoen het, het die studieresultate getoon dat hierdie oefeningsessies nie gelei het tot enige betekenisvolle akute veranderinge in die fisieke en motoriese komponente van universiteits-vlak rugbyspelers nie.

Sleutelterme: pliometrie, explosiewe krag, weerstands-sprongoefening, rugby unie

List of tables

LIST OF TABLES

CHAPTER 2:

TABLE 1: Studies regarding the effects of plyometric training program alone on selected physical, motor ability and anthropometric components of subjects

16

TABLE 2: Studies regarding the effects of combined plyometric training program on selected physical, motor ability and anthropometric components

41

CHAPTER 3:

TABLE 1: Four week long resisted jump training program compiled according to the guidelines of the Vertimax User’s Manual

91

TABLE 2: Four week long plyometric training program 92 TABLE 3: Descriptive statistics and differences between the pre- and post-test

results for the various groups regarding the selected anthropometric components

98

TABLE 4: Descriptive statistics and differences between the pre- and post-test results for the various groups regarding the selected physical and motor ability components

101

TABLE 5: The nested ANOVA results of the anthropometric components 102 TABLE 6: The nested ANOVA results of the physical and motor ability

components

103

TABLE 7: Results of the main effect ANOVA of physical, motor ability and anthropometric components

104

CHAPTER 4:

TABLE 1: Descriptive statistics and differences between pre-post values of the various groups of players regarding the selected physical and motor ability components

128

TABLE 2: The nested ANOVA results of the selected physical and motor ability components

130

List of abbreviations

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

APT AQUATIC PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ASLRT ACTIVE STRAIGHT LEG RAISE TEST BMI BODY MASS INDEX

BS BACK SQUAT

CD COMBINATION OF GROUP 1 & 2

CG CONTROL GROUP

CMDJ COUNTERMOVEMENT DROP JUMP CMJ COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP

CPK CREATINE PHOSPHATE KINASE DBP DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE DJ DEPTH JUMP TRAINING

EG EXPERIMENTAL GROUP EMG ELECTROMYOGRAPHY EMS ELECTROMYOSTIMULATION G·MM-2 GRAM MILLIMETER2

GRF GROUND REACTION FORCE

HD HORIZONTAL DEPTH JUMP TRAINING IART ILLINOIS AGILITY RUN TEST

IL-1b INTERLEUKIN 1B IL-6 INTERLEUKIN 6

ISAK INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF KINANTHROPOMETRY

JH JUMP HEIGHT

KG KILOGRAM

LCMJ LOADED COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP LPS LOADED PARALLEL SQUATS

LPT LAND PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

M SQUARE ROOT OF THE BODY STATURE MHC MYOSIN HEAVY CHAIN

MTQT MODIFIED THOMAS QUADRICEPS TEST PLYO PLYOMETRIC EXERCISE GROUP

List of abbreviations

PT PLYOMETRIC TRAINING

PSLRT PASSIVE STRAIGHT LEG RAISE TEST

RAST RUNNING-BASED ANAEROBIC SPRINT TEST RM REPETITION MAXIMUM

ROM RANGE OF MOTION

RPP RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT SBP SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE

SJ SQUAT JUMP

SMST SMITH MACHINE SQUAT TEST SQUAT HEAVY WEIGHT EXERCISE SSC STRETCH SHORTENING CYCLE ST SPRINT TRAINING

STG STRENGHT TRAINING GROUP SUM6SF SUM OF THE SIX SKINFOLDS TCG TRAINING CONTROL GROUP

TEM TECHNICAL ERROR OF MEASUREMENT VD VERTICAL DEPTH JUMP TRAINING VJT VERTICAL JUMP TEST

VO2MAX MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE

VTG VERTIMAX TRAINING GROUP

W PEAK POWER

W.kg-1 PEAK POWER RELATIVE TO BODY MASS

X TOTAL AVERAGE SCORE FOR EACH EXERCISE VARIABLE