Differences in the vertical and horizontal force-velocity profile between academy and senior professional rugby league players, and the implications for strength and speed training.

Background: This study compared the vertical and horizontal force-velocity (FV) profile of academy and senior rugby league players.

Methods: Nineteen senior and twenty academy players from one professional club participated in this study. The vertical FV profile was determined using a series of loaded squat jumps (0.

Montmorency tart cherry juice does not reduce markers of muscle soreness, function and inflammation following professional male rugby League match-play.

Rugby League (RL) match-play causes muscle damage, inflammation and symptoms of fatigue. To facilitate recovery, nutritional interventions are often employed, including Montmorency cherry juice (MC). We assessed the effects of MC on recovery following RL match-play in eleven male professional RL players who played in two matches (7-days apart) with MC or placebo (PLB) supplemented for 5-days pre-match, matchday and 2-days post-match.

Development of anthropometric characteristics in professional Rugby League players: Is there too much emphasis on the pre-season period?

Rugby League is a team sport requiring players to experience large impact collisions, thus requiring high amounts of muscle mass. Many players (academy and senior) strive to increase muscle mass during the pre-season, however, quantification of changes during this period have not been thoroughly investigated. We therefore assessed changes in body-composition using Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in eleven academy players over three successive pre-seasons and ninety-three senior players from four different European Super League clubs prior to, and at the end of, a pre-season training period.