Hermassi, S. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2019

Differences in player position running velocity at lactate thresholds among male professional German soccer players

This study investigated the differences in running velocities at specific lactate thresholds among male German soccer players. One hundred fifty-two professional (3rd league: n=82; 4th league: n=70) male soccer players (mean {+/-} SD; age: 24.7 {+/-} 4.38 years, body mass: 80.7 {+/-} 7.36 kg, body height: 1.83 {+/-} 0.06 m) volunteered for the investigation. Players were categorized as goalkeepers, central defenders, central midfielders, wings and forwards. Players completed a treadmill test, at incremental speeds, to determine running velocity at different blood lactate concentrations (v2=2 mmol/l; v4=4 mmol/l; v6=6 mmol/l). Results indicate that, wings displayed the lowest body mass (76.2 {+/-} 6.08 kg) and body height (1.79 {+/-} 0.06 m). In contrast, goalkeepers were the tallest athletes in the whole sample (1.90 {+/-} 0.03 m), forwards were the heaviest players (85.4 {+/-} 6.03 kg). In addition, we detected the largest difference between positions for running velocity at the lactate threshold v2 (p=0.002). The running data revealed that only the goalkeepers had significantly lower velocities at the lactate thresholds compared to the field players. The central midfielders showed the highest performance level at the lactate thresholds (v2: 12.5 {+/-} 1.20 km/h; v4: 15.2 {+/-} 1.14 km/h; v6: 16.6 {+/-} 1.13 km/h). In conclusion, this study provides soccer and position-specific reference data for the performance of male professional German soccer players in order to evaluate the running performance in a valid way. In this context, it is necessary to extend the database for the second and first league. Furthermore, it is important to assess the running performance during competition matches over the entire season in order to validate the endurance test performance data.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Effects of short-term resistance training and tapering on maximal strength, peak power, throwing ball velocity, and sprint performance in handball players

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of short-term resistance training and two weeks of tapering on physical performances in handball players. Following a ten-week progressive resistance training program, subjects were divided between an experimental (n = 10) and a control group (n = 10). The experimental group completed a resistance training program, followed by a two-week period when the training intensity was tapered by 60%, while the control group maintained their typical pattern of training. Muscle power (force-velocity test and squat and counter-movement jump tests), sprinting ability (10m and 30m), ability to change direction (T-half test) and throwing velocity (a 3-step throw with a run, and a jump throw) were evaluated before training, at the end of training and after tapering. The experimental group showed significantly larger interaction effects for the 10-week training period (12/15, 80%), than for the following 2 weeks of tapering (10/15, 67%), with the largest gains being in 15 m sprint times (d=3.78) and maximal muscular strength in the snatch (d=3.48). Although the performance of the experimental group generally continued to increase over tapering, the mean effect size for the training period was markedly higher (d=1.92, range: 0.95-3.78) than that seen during tapering (d=1.02, range:-0.17-2.09). Nevertheless the ten weeks of progressive resistance training followed by two weeks of tapering was an effective overall tactic to increase muscle power, sprint performance and ball throwing velocity in handball players.

developmental biology↗