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Effects of strength training on postpubertal adolescent distance runners

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posted on 2019-07-01, 11:17 authored by Richard BlagroveRichard Blagrove, Louis P. Howe, Emily J. Cushion, Adam Spence, Glyn Howatson, Charles R. Pedlar, Philip R. Hayes
Purpose Strength training activities have consistently been shown to improve running economy (RE) and neuromuscular characteristics, such as force-producing ability and maximal speed, in adult distance runners. However, the effects on adolescent (<18 yr) runners remains elusive. This randomized control trial aimed to examine the effect of strength training on several important physiological and neuromuscular qualities associated with distance running performance. Methods Participants (n = 25, 13 female, 17.2 ± 1.2 yr) were paired according to their sex and RE and randomly assigned to a 10-wk strength training group (STG) or a control group who continued their regular training. The STG performed twice weekly sessions of plyometric, sprint, and resistance training in addition to their normal running. Outcome measures included body mass, maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ), speed at VO 2max , RE (quantified as energy cost), speed at fixed blood lactate concentrations, 20-m sprint, and maximal voluntary contraction during an isometric quarter-squat. Results Eighteen participants (STG: n = 9, 16.1 ± 1.1 yr; control group: n = 9, 17.6 ± 1.2 yr) completed the study. The STG displayed small improvements (3.2%-3.7%; effect size (ES), 0.31-0.51) in RE that were inferred as "possibly beneficial" for an average of three submaximal speeds. Trivial or small changes were observed for body composition variables, VO 2max and speed at VO 2max ; however, the training period provided likely benefits to speed at fixed blood lactate concentrations in both groups. Strength training elicited a very likely benefit and a possible benefit to sprint time (ES, 0.32) and maximal voluntary contraction (ES, 0.86), respectively. Conclusions Ten weeks of strength training added to the program of a postpubertal distance runner was highly likely to improve maximal speed and enhances RE by a small extent, without deleterious effects on body composition or other aerobic parameters.

Funding

British Milers Club

History

School

  • Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

Published in

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

Volume

50

Issue

6

Pages

1224 - 1232

Citation

BLAGROVE, R.C. ... et al, 2018. Effects of strength training on postpubertal adolescent distance runners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 50 (6), pp.1224-1232.

Publisher

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins © American College of Sports Medicine

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Publication date

2018-06-01

Notes

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise at https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001543.

ISSN

0195-9131

eISSN

1530-0315

Language

  • en

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