Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull Performance in Rugby Players: A Systematic Literature Review.

Eric A Martin,George K Beckham

doi:10.3390/jfmk5040091

Abstract

The isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) is a multi-joint test of whole-body force production relevant to rugby players. “Rugby AND (mid-thigh pull OR midthigh pull OR mid thigh pull” were searched in PubMed, Sportdiscus, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, and Google Scholar; the final date of search was 24 January 2018. Data extraction from 24 articles included subject characteristics, force data, and IMTP testing procedures. Select ranges of peak forces reported were: Youth: 1162–2374 N; Academy: 1855–3104 N; Professional: 2254–3851 N. Rate of force development (RFD) at 100 and 200 ms ranged from 5521 to 11,892 N and 5403 to 8405 N, respectively, among professional rugby players. Studies’ research design were of moderate quality, but most studies lacked detailed reporting of IMTP procedures. Variability of force characteristics derived from the IMTP within similar populations (e.g., approximately 200% difference in peak force between samples of professional rugby league players) as well as large and unexpected overlaps between dissimilar populations, limit conclusions about force production capabilities relative to playing level, likely due to limitations and lack of standardization of IMTP procedures. Greater uniformity in IMTP testing procedures and reporting is needed. This manuscript provides a guide for reporting needs when presenting results from an IMTP in research.

Highlights

Rugby is a collision sport played at youth, amateur, and professional levels [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Eleven studies were in professional- or Olympic-level rugby players, two studies in exclusively academy players, four in university players, four in amateur players, and three in adolescent players
While this review provides a summary of the available data on isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) performance among rugby players across three different codes of rugby and many playing levels, the inconsistent reporting of results prohibited the formation of true normative data

Summary

Introduction

Rugby is a collision sport played at youth, amateur, and professional levels [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Muscular strength and power have been documented as important for contact situations like tackling and scrummaging [8,9,10,11,12,13] In these studies, strength has typically been assessed for the lower body using tests such as the barbell back squat one repetition maximum (1RM), and power has typically been assessed through some version of a vertical jump test. Strength has typically been assessed for the lower body using tests such as the barbell back squat one repetition maximum (1RM), and power has typically been assessed through some version of a vertical jump test While both of these tests are widely used and validated [14], they only measure their one respective construct and only account for lower-body force production capabilities. A test of whole-body strength may be more specific to contact ability, especially for the tackle, and could be a more time-efficient option for coaches and athletes

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