Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players?
This interventional controlled study investigated the effects of Olympic weightlifting (OWL) on strength, power, and speed in adolescent rugby union players. Under-17 rugby union players were divided into two groups (WLG and CON) [n: 46, age: 15.4 (0.5) years, stature: 175 (6.1) cm, body mass: 73.7...
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International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Strength and Conditioning |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/399 |
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| author | Lorenzo Consonni Marco Zanin PJ Wilson Liam Hennessy |
| author_facet | Lorenzo Consonni Marco Zanin PJ Wilson Liam Hennessy |
| author_sort | Lorenzo Consonni |
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| description | This interventional controlled study investigated the effects of Olympic weightlifting (OWL) on strength, power, and speed in adolescent rugby union players. Under-17 rugby union players were divided into two groups (WLG and CON) [n: 46, age: 15.4 (0.5) years, stature: 175 (6.1) cm, body mass: 73.7 (15.6) kg]. The WLG participated in an 8-week OWL program. Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured countermovement jump height, 10m and 30m sprint times, and a 5RM back squat.
Results showed no substantial differences between groups at pre- and post-intervention for strength, power, and speed. Strength significantly improved for both groups from pre-to-post. In addition, the WLG demonstrated a greater rate of strength development in comparison to the CON group (MLE = 7.30, SE = 1.83, 95%CI = [3.65, 10.94], t = 3.99, p < 0.001). Power did not present substantial changes between pre and post for both groups. Speed performance decreased from pre to post for both WLG and CON (p < 0.001). Nonetheless, smaller decreases were observed in the WLG for 10m (+0.05 vs +0.09 sec) and 30m (+0.12 vs +0.20 sec) sprints. Furthermore, anthropometrics (i.e., stature and body mass) proved to be important factors contributing to strength, power, and speed development.
The study found no clear evidence to support the benefit of OWL in developing strength, power, and speed in adolescent athletes without prior experience with these exercises. However, OWL may enhance absolute strength gains and mitigate speed performance declines in youth rugby players. Stature and body mass significantly affected these performance metrics, highlighting the need to consider individual differences and developmental changes. Continuous assessment and careful adjustment of training programs are crucial during adolescence to account for variations in stature and body mass.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2c72175365e14d9db01c8d1d4ef18920 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2634-2235 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Strength and Conditioning |
| spelling | doaj-art-2c72175365e14d9db01c8d1d4ef189202025-08-20T02:40:39ZengInternational Universities Strength and Conditioning AssociationInternational Journal of Strength and Conditioning2634-22352025-03-015110.47206/ijsc.v5i1.399Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players?Lorenzo Consonni0Marco Zanin1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1416-2225PJ Wilson2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5846-9894Liam Hennessy3Setanta CollegeUniversity of BathSetanta CollegeSetanta CollegeThis interventional controlled study investigated the effects of Olympic weightlifting (OWL) on strength, power, and speed in adolescent rugby union players. Under-17 rugby union players were divided into two groups (WLG and CON) [n: 46, age: 15.4 (0.5) years, stature: 175 (6.1) cm, body mass: 73.7 (15.6) kg]. The WLG participated in an 8-week OWL program. Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured countermovement jump height, 10m and 30m sprint times, and a 5RM back squat. Results showed no substantial differences between groups at pre- and post-intervention for strength, power, and speed. Strength significantly improved for both groups from pre-to-post. In addition, the WLG demonstrated a greater rate of strength development in comparison to the CON group (MLE = 7.30, SE = 1.83, 95%CI = [3.65, 10.94], t = 3.99, p < 0.001). Power did not present substantial changes between pre and post for both groups. Speed performance decreased from pre to post for both WLG and CON (p < 0.001). Nonetheless, smaller decreases were observed in the WLG for 10m (+0.05 vs +0.09 sec) and 30m (+0.12 vs +0.20 sec) sprints. Furthermore, anthropometrics (i.e., stature and body mass) proved to be important factors contributing to strength, power, and speed development. The study found no clear evidence to support the benefit of OWL in developing strength, power, and speed in adolescent athletes without prior experience with these exercises. However, OWL may enhance absolute strength gains and mitigate speed performance declines in youth rugby players. Stature and body mass significantly affected these performance metrics, highlighting the need to consider individual differences and developmental changes. Continuous assessment and careful adjustment of training programs are crucial during adolescence to account for variations in stature and body mass. https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/399StrengthPowerSpeedRugbyOlympic weightliftingLong-term athletic development |
| spellingShingle | Lorenzo Consonni Marco Zanin PJ Wilson Liam Hennessy Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players? International Journal of Strength and Conditioning Strength Power Speed Rugby Olympic weightlifting Long-term athletic development |
| title | Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players? |
| title_full | Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players? |
| title_fullStr | Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players? |
| title_short | Does Olympic Weightlifting Enhance Strength, Power, and Speed in Adolescent Rugby Union Players? |
| title_sort | does olympic weightlifting enhance strength power and speed in adolescent rugby union players |
| topic | Strength Power Speed Rugby Olympic weightlifting Long-term athletic development |
| url | https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/399 |
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