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Examining the Relationship Between Changes in Lower-Limb Isometric Strength and Subsequent Physical Training Outputs
Ethan J Grimmond1, Tom J Stindl2, Alexander C Engel3
1School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia. e.grimmond@student.unsw.edu.au.
Background:
Neuromuscular assessments are commonly used to monitor athletes and inform decisions regarding readiness to train and compete. However, the extent to which changes in neuromuscular performance may influence subsequent training or match-play outputs remains unclear, limiting their practical utility. Accordingly, further investigation is required to determine whether these assessments capture neuromuscular changes that meaningfully influence subsequent physical output.
Objectives:
This study aimed to examine the acute relationship between changes in pretraining isometric strength and subsequent physical training outputs during preseason in professional Australian Rules football (ARF) players.
Design:
Prospective longitudinal observational study.
Methods:
Forty-two professional ARF players were monitored across a 12-week preseason. Pretraining lower-limb isometric strength was assessed via dynamometry (knee flexion [KNEEFLEX] and hip adduction [HIPADD]), with subsequent linear running and change of direction outputs quantified during training using global navigation satellite system devices with integrated triaxial accelerometers. Linear mixed models were used to examine whether changes in pretraining strength from baseline were associated with subsequent training outputs.
Results:
Analyses revealed that changes in pretraining KNEEFLEX strength from baseline were significantly associated with subsequent running intensity (m min-1) at > 70% relative maximum velocity (p < 0.05), but not with any other running intensity, acceleration, or deceleration outputs. Changes in HIPADD strength from baseline were associated with subsequent change of direction outputs (efforts min-1) at Low and Medium magnitude (p < 0.05), but no significant associations were observed with High magnitude outputs.
Conclusions:
Changes in pretraining lower-limb isometric strength from baseline were significantly associated with subsequent linear running (m min-1 at > 70% relative maximum velocity) and change of direction (m min-1 at Low and Medium magnitude) outputs in training among professional ARF players. These findings suggest that both the KNEEFLEX and HIPADD assessments may serve as useful indicators of a player's physical readiness in the context of ARF and may help inform subsequent modification to training load and recovery where appropriate.
