Abstract
Rugby players need muscular strength and power to meet the demands of the sport; therefore, a proper assessment of the performance in rugby players should include both variables. The purpose of this study was to examine the strength and power characteristics (SPC) during the squat (SQ) and bench press (BP) in national amateur rugby players and to analyze gender- and position-related differences. A total of 47 players (30 males and 17 females; age: 25.56 ± 1.14 and 23.16 ± 1.38 years, respectively) participated in the study. The one repetition-maximum (1-RM) and SPC in SQ and BP were obtained using a Smith Machine. Then, subjects performed one set of five repetitions on the SQ and BP against six relative loads (30–40–50–60–70–80% 1-RM) using a linear transducer. Differences between genders were found in 1-RM for maximal power, kilograms lifted at maximal power, maximal power, maximal strength and maximal speed in BP (p < 0.00) and 1-RM, kilograms lifted at maximal power, maximal power, maximal strength and maximal speed in SQ (p < 0.00). Comparisons between variables in SQ and BP present a significant relationship (p < 0.01) in SQ and BP 1-RM with kilograms lifted at maximal power (r = 0.86 and r = 0.84), maximal strength (r = 0.53 and r = 0.92) and maximal power (r = 0.76 and r = 0.93). This study confirms the importance of the SPC assessment for training prescription in rugby amateur players.
Highlights
Rugby is a collision sport that involves high-intensity bouts of exercise including sprint and agility activities and contact and tackling separated by short bouts of low-intensity activity [1,2]
In SQ and bench press (BP) 1-RM with kilograms lifted at maximal power (r = 0.86 and r = 0.84), maximal strength (r = 0.53 and r = 0.92) and maximal power (r = 0.76 and r = 0.93)
This study confirms the importance of the strength and power characteristics (SPC) assessment for training prescription in rugby amateur players
Summary
Rugby is a collision sport that involves high-intensity bouts of exercise including sprint and agility activities and contact and tackling separated by short bouts of low-intensity activity [1,2]. Agility, muscular strength and power to meet the demands on the sport and these factors distinguish high- and low-level players [3,4]. Due to the tactical and movement patterns of rugby, players should have agility skills for avoiding contact and collisions [8,9,10,11]. In the case of rugby, there are two general player positions, backs and forwards, with different physical demands [12,13]. Forwards are involved in more collisions, whereas backs are involved in more high-speed running (>5 m·s−1 ) [14]. Backs are reportedly faster and more agile than forwards [16,17]
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