The Effects of High-Repetition Strength Training on Performance in Competitive Endurance Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Nugent, FJ, Flanagan, EP, Darragh, I, Daly, L, and Warrington, GD. The effects of high-repetition strength training on performance in competitive endurance athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 37(6): 1315-1326, 2023-The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of high-repetition strength training (HRST) on performance in competitive endurance athletes. The methodology followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis protocol. A search of databases was performed until December 2020. Inclusion criteria were (a) competitive endurance athletes, (b) ≥4 weeks HRST intervention, (c) control or comparison group, (d) outcome measures of performance (either physiological or time trial performance), and (e) all experimental designs. Quality assessment was performed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Of the 615 studies retrieved, 11 studies were included (216 subjects) and 9 studies provided sufficient data for the meta-analysis (137 subjects). The PEDro scale score had a mean of 5 of 10 points (range: 3-6). There was no significant difference between the HRST and control groups (g = 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.38 to 1.07; p = 0.35) or HRST and low-repetition strength training (LRST) groups (g = 0.24; 95% CI = -0.24 to 0.72; p = 0.33). The findings of this review and meta-analysis indicate that HRST does not result in improved performance over a 4- to 12-week period, and the results seem to be similar to LRST. The majority of studies involved recreational endurance athletes and had a mean duration of 8 weeks, which is a limitation of the findings. Future intervention studies should be > 12 weeks in duration and involve well-trained endurance athletes (maximal oxygen uptake [V̇o2max] of >65 ml·kg-1·min-2).

Physical and Technical Demands and Preparatory Strategies in Female Field Collision Sports: A Scoping Review.

Women's participation in field collision sports is growing worldwide. Scoping reviews provide an overview of scientific literature in a developing area to support practitioners, policy, and research priorities. Our aim is to explore published research and synthesise information on the physical and technical demands and preparation strategies of female field collision sports. We searched four databases and identified relevant published studies. Data were extracted to form (1) a numerical analysis and (2) thematic summary. Of 2318 records identified, 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Physical demands were the most highly investigated (n+=+24), followed by technical demands (n+= 18), tactical considerations (n+=+8) and preparatory strategies (n=1). The key themes embody a holistic model contributing to both performance and injury prevention outcomes in the context of female field collision sports. Findings suggest a gender data gap across all themes and a low evidence base to inform those preparing female athletes for match demands. Given the physical and technical differences in match-demands the review findings do not support the generalisation of male-derived training data to female athletes. To support key stakeholders working within female field collision sports there is a need to increase the visibility of female athletes in the literature.

Effects of Low-Volume, High-Intensity Training on Performance in Competitive Swimmers: A Systematic Review.

Nugent, FJ, Comyns, TM, Burrows, E, and Warrington, GD. Effects of low-volume, high-intensity training on performance in competitive swimmers: a systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 837-847, 2017-The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the extent and quality of the current research literature to determine the effects of low-volume, high-intensity training (HIT) on physiological performance and swimming performance in competitive swimmers. The methodology followed the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. A search of relevant databases and conference proceedings was performed until December 2015. The inclusion criteria were (a) competitive swimmers, (b) ≥4 weeks HIT intervention, (c) comparison group had to involve a higher training volume, (d) outcome measures of physiological and swimming performance, and (e) all experimental study designs. Quality assessment was performed using the Quality Index checklist. Results indicate that of the 538 studies retrieved, 7 studies met the inclusion criteria. Six of the 7 studies found that an HIT intervention resulted in significant improvements in physiological performance. Four of the 7 studies found that HIT resulted in significant improvements in swimming performance, whereas none of the 7 studies resulted in a reduction in physiological or swimming performance. Despite the positive findings of this review, the short study duration is a limitation to a number of studies. The current evidence on the effects of HIT on performance is promising; however, it is difficult to draw accurate conclusions until further research has been conducted.

Effects of increased training volume during a ten-day training camp on competitive performance in national level youth swimmers.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increased training volume during a 10-day training camp on competitive performance and internal training load (ITL). In addition, coach and swimmer rating of perceived exertion (RPE) for each session was compared. METHODS: Ten national level swimmers (gender: 4 males and 6 females; age: 15±1 years; height: 170.5±6.4 cm; body mass: 61.4±7.4 kg) participated in the training camp which involved a 36% increase in swimming volume. Competitive performance, as assessed using the FPS (FINA points system), was recorded pre and post-camp. ITL was recorded using the Session-RPE method and RESTQ-52 Sport questionnaire for each session and for day 1, 5 and 10 of the camp, respectively. Coach RPE was recorded after each training session for coach-swimmer RPE comparisons. RESULTS: Competitive performance increased by 7.1% from pre-camp to post-camp (P=0.001, dz=1.6). Session-RPE increased between day 1 and all other days of the training camp (P<0.05), except day 6 (P=0.221). The injury scale of the RESTQ questionnaire increased from day 1 to day 5 (P=0.022). Across 16 swimming sessions, there was a strong correlation between coach and swimmer RPE (rs=0.76) however RPE was found to be higher for the swimmers than the coach (P≤0.0005) during moderate training sessions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a 36% increase in swimming volume during a 10 day training camp resulted in significant changes to competitive performance and ITL. However, coach and swimmer RPE should be monitored closely during future camps.

Quality versus Quantity Debate in Swimming: Perceptions and Training Practices of Expert Swimming Coaches.

The debate over low-volume, high-intensity training versus high-volume, low-intensity training, commonly known as Quality versus Quantity, respectively, is a frequent topic of discussion among swimming coaches and academics. The aim of this study was to explore expert coaches' perceptions of quality and quantity coaching philosophies in competitive swimming and to investigate their current training practices. A purposeful sample of 11 expert swimming coaches was recruited for this study. The study was a mixed methods design and involved each coach participating in 1 semi-structured interview and completing 1 closed-ended questionnaire. The main findings of this study were that coaches felt quality training programmes would lead to short term results for youth swimmers, but were in many cases more appropriate for senior swimmers. The coaches suggested that quantity training programmes built an aerobic base for youth swimmers, promoted technical development through a focus on slower swimming and helped to enhance recovery from training or competition. However, the coaches continuously suggested that quantity training programmes must be performed with good technique and they felt this was a misunderstood element. This study was a critical step towards gaining a richer and broader understanding on the debate over Quality versus Quantity training from an expert swimming coaches' perspective which was not currently available in the research literature.