Springham, Matthew, Singh, Nav, Stewart, Perry, Jones, Ian, Sherwood, Charlie, May, Dominic, Salter, Jamie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7375-1476, Strudwick, Anthony and Shaw, Joseph (2024) Neuromuscular fatigue in English premier league academy football players: within- and Cross- season responses. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. (In Press)

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Abstract

Objectives
To examine the within- and cross-season neuromuscular fatigue responses in English Premier League U-18 academy football players.
Design
Twenty-five players from the same team completed weekly countermovement jump and isometric adductor and posterior chain strength tests for a full competitive season.
Methods
Global positioning system measures of training and match total, high-metabolic load and sprint distance were recorded daily and converted into exponentially weighted moving average seven- and twenty-eight-day values.
Results
TD28 (p < .001), HML28 (p < .001), and SD28 (p = .002) shared negative relationships with countermovement jump height, but there was no main cross-season effect (p = .137). TD28 (p = .016) and HML28 (p = .012) positively related to isometric posterior chain strength but there was no effect of SD28 (p = .653), SD7 (p = .549), TD7 (p = .080) or HML7 (p = .104). Cross season, isometric posterior chain strength followed a curvilinear response whereby performance increased across the beginning of the season and decreased towards the end of the season (p = .003). There was no effect of training load or time on isometric adductor strength performance (p > .094).
Conclusions
Neuromuscular status, signalled by countermovement jump height changes fluctuates across the season in response to sustained changes in training and match load, but there is no evidence of a main cross-season linear effect. Total training and match volume exert moderating effects on the internal training load dose, and in-turn, important moderating effects on neuromuscular fatigue, particularly when composed of high volumes of high-intensity and sprint distances. The posterior chain might be particularly susceptible to fatigue towards the end of the season.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
DOI:	10.1016/j.jsams.2024.12.004
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/11228

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