Changes in muscular strength over two consecutive professional rugby league seasons.

Abstract

Rugby league is a contact team sport that requires players to exert large forces to gain or maintain control of the opposition during contact. Therefore, developing and maintaining strength long-term is a key objective for strength and conditioning coaches. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term strength training adaptations in professional rugby league across two consecutive seasons. Further, this study aimed to examine any differences between players that demonstrated an increase in maximal strength (responders) and players that demonstrated a decrease or no improvement in maximal strength (non-responders) training experience and resistance training load. Maximal strength was assessed via 1 RM back squat and bench press (n = 14). Training loads were quantified using volume load and training intensity. There were small significant increases in lower (ES = 0.49, p = 0.017) and upper body (ES = 0.59, p < 0.001) maximal strength over successive seasons. Bench press responders had significantly less training experience (U = 3.000, p = 0.044) than non-responders. These results demonstrate players were able to improve lower body strength over consecutive seasons. The findings from this study indicate that players with less training experience have a greater capacity for upper, but not lower, body strength improvements than players with more training experience.