Relationships between lower-body muscle structure and, lower-body strength, explosiveness and eccentric leg stiffness in adolescent athletes

Authors

Josh Secomb, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Sophia Nimphius, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Oliver R. Farley, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Lina Lundgren, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Tai T. Tran, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Jeremy M. Sheppard, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publisher

Journal of Sports Science and Medicine

Place of Publication

Turkey

Faculty

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

RAS ID

20033

Comments

Secomb, J. L., Nimphius, S., Farely, O. R. L., Lundgren, L. E., Tran, T. T., & Sheppard, J. M. (2015). Relationships between lower-body muscle structure and, lower-body strength, explosiveness and eccentric leg stiffness in adolescent athletes. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 14(4), 691-697. Available from here

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether any relationships were present between lower-body muscle structure and, lower-body strength, variables measured during a counter-movement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ), and eccentric leg stiffness, in adolescent athletes. Thirty junior male (n = 23) and female (n = 7) surfing athletes (14.8 ± 1.7 y; 1.63 ± 0.09 m; 54.8 ± 12.1 kg) undertook lower-body muscle structure assessment with ultrasonography and performed a; CMJ, SJ and an isomet-ric mid-thigh pull (IMTP). In addition, eccentric leg stiffness was calculated from variables of the CMJ and IMTP. Moderate to very large relationships (r = 0.46-0.73) were identified be-tween the thickness of the vastus lateralis (VL) and lateral gas-trocnemius (LG) muscles, and VL pennation angle and; peak force (PF) in the CMJ, SJ and IMTP. Additionally, moderate to large relationships (r = 0.37-0.59) were found between eccentric leg stiffness and; VL and LG thickness, VL pennation angle, and LG fascicle length, with a large relationship (r = 0.59) also present with IMTP PF. These results suggest that greater thick-ness of the VL and LG were related to improved maximal dy-namic and isometric strength, likely due to increased hypertro-phy of the extensor muscles. Furthermore, this increased thickness was related to greater eccentric leg stiffness, as the associated enhanced lower-body strength likely allowed for greater neuromuscular activation, and hence less compliance, during a stretch-shortening cycle.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.