Anthropometric and Three-Compartment Body Composition Differences between Super League and Championship Rugby League Players: Considerations for the 2015 Season and Beyond

Jones, Ben; Till, Kevin; Barlow, Matt; Lees, Matthew; O’Hara, John; Hind, Karen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0133188

Cited by 27 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…As in male rugby league players, forwards were found to have a greater percentage body fat than backs (22,27). The observed mean percentage body fat for backs are within healthy reference ranges as indicated by the Z-scores (38), although two players reached 1SD above the reference mean for body fat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…It is unclear how this would impact their rugby league on field performance. Some studies have reported that more successful male rugby league players are taller and heavier than their sub-elite counterparts (2, 3), whereas a recent study by Jones and colleagues (22) reported no difference between the stature and body mass of Super League vs. Championship rugby league players in England. The trainability of these traits is limited, thus these respective differences, if regarded as important for performance should be a consideration during the talent identification process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, body composition is frequently reported using sum of skinfolds, which only provide an estimate of body fat. Investigating body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) allows the measurement of fat and lean mass for both total body and regional compartments (22). Furthermore, DXA also allows the measurement of bone mineral content (BMC), which provides an insight into the skeletal health of an athlete (16,26), previously reported as a concern in female athletes (28).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical Qualities of International Female Rugby League Players by Playing Position

Jones

Emmonds

Hind

et al. 2016

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

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The purpose of the current study was to investigate the anthropometric, body composition and fitness characteristics of female rugby league players by playing position. Data were collected on 27 players who were part of the English elite women's rugby league squad. Player assessments comprised anthropometric (stature and body mass), body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and fitness (lower-body power [countermovement jump (CMJ), 20 kg jump squat (JS) and 30 cm drop jump], 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 m sprint, 505 agility, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1) measures. Players were classified into playing position (i.e., forwards and backs) prior to analysis. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) demonstrated significant (p<0.05) differences for body mass, stature, total fat, lean mass and percentage body fat between forwards and backs. Positional differences were also observed for speed, agility and lower-body power. Significant relationships were observed between total body fat and all fitness variables, and total lean mass was related to CMJ and JS peak power. This study provides comparative data for female rugby league forwards and backs. Body fat was strongly associated with performance and should therefore be considered in developing fitness characteristics. The relationship to match performance and trainability of these characteristics warrants further investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical Qualities of International Female Rugby League Players by Playing Position

Jones

Emmonds

Hind

et al. 2016

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

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“…The sport consists of high-intensity work periods (e.g., sprinting, tackling) interspersed with low-intensity activity (e.g., repositioning, jogging; 8, 17, 34). Due to the high physical game demands, players are required to have highly developed physical qualities including body composition, speed, power, strength and endurance to successfully compete in the sport (11,17,18,31). Therefore, the physical enhancement of adolescent rugby players is a major concern for the strength and conditioning coach and rugby practitioner in the development of the next generation of talented rugby league players (32).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Training Age on the Annual Development of Physical Qualities Within Academy Rugby League Players

Till

Darrall-Jones

Weakley

et al. 2017

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

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Previous research in academy rugby league players has evaluated the development of physical qualities according to chronological age. However, no study has considered the training age, defined as the number of formalized years of strength and conditioning training, of these players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to present and compare the annual changes in physical qualities of academy rugby league players according to training age.Sixty-one academy players undertook a fitness testing assessment including anthropometric (height, body mass, sum of four skinfolds) and physical (10 and 20m sprint, 10m momentum, vertical jump, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 [Yo-Yo IRTL1], one-repetition maximum [1-RM] squat, bench press and prone row) measures at the start of pre-season on two consecutive annual occasions. Players were categorized into one of three training age groups (i.e., 0, 1 or 2 years) and were analyzed using magnitude-based inferences. Almost certain, very likely or likely annual improvements were identified for body mass, 10m momentum, Yo-Yo IRTL1, vertical jump and all strength measures for the three training age groups. When training age groups were compared, 1 years showed possibly or likely lower strength increases than 0 years training age. However, the 2 years training age group demonstrated possibly or likely increased strength changes compared to 1 years. These findings suggest that training age is an important consideration for strength and conditioning practitioners but it is likely to be a combination of chronological age, biological maturity and training experience alongside dynamic inter-player variability that influences the physical development of academy rugby league players.

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“…Jones et al [26] compared body mass composition in professional and semi-professional rugby players using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and did not observed significant differences in age, stature or body mass. They detected relatively less soft tissue fat in professional players in comparison with semi-professional (17.5 ± 3.7% and 14.8 ± 3.6% in backs; 21.4 ± 4.3% and 20.8 ± 3.8% in forwards, respectively) and greater trunk lean mass.…”

Section: Int Conf Society Health Welfare 2018mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatness and thermoregulation of qualified rugby players

et al. 2019

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A large body size and mass are advantages in rugby. The desire to gain weight can bring players to become overweight or obese. This can worsen their thermoregulation and health risks. The aim was to evaluate anthropometric characteristics and to determine the effect of additional body fat percentage on sweat loss during play-match in male rugby players. Nineteen qualified male rugby players were tested during play-match. The age, height, body mass, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percent of participants were: 29 ± 6 years, 183 ± 7 cm, 96.86 ± 12.88 kg, 29.07 ± 3.90 kg/m2, 20.52 ± 5.64%, respectively. The skin fold thickness measurement was used to assess body fat percent. Body mass loss was detected by weighting. The mean BMI was 26.18 ± 2.37 (kg/m2) and the body fat 15.87 ± 3.97% in backs. Forwards were significantly heavier and had BMI 31.18 ± 3.44 (kg/m2)(p = 0.002) and the body fat 23.91 ± 4.02% (p < 0.001). The mean body mass decrease in the play-match was 1.83 ± 0.84%. The mean sweating intensity was 2.24 ± 1.07 l/h, but individual varied among players in very wide range (1.12–6.16 l/h). Relationships between the body fat percentage and sweating intensity was not determined (p > 0.05). Recommendation is to increase the volume of regular strength training, to correct the diet and liquid consumption.

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Anthropometric and Three-Compartment Body Composition Differences between Super League and Championship Rugby League Players: Considerations for the 2015 Season and Beyond

Cited by 27 publications

References 32 publications

Physical Qualities of International Female Rugby League Players by Playing Position

Physical Qualities of International Female Rugby League Players by Playing Position

The Influence of Training Age on the Annual Development of Physical Qualities Within Academy Rugby League Players

Fatness and thermoregulation of qualified rugby players

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