Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Acute Effects of a Fatiguing Protocol on Peak Force and Rate of Force Development of the Hamstring Muscles in Soccer Players

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hamstring strain injuries (HSI) represent a significant burden in soccer. High-speed running is one of the most common HSI mechanism, in particular during match congested periods. Peak force and rate of force development (RFD) of the hamstring muscles tested at long muscle length have shown reductions following fatiguing tasks. However, no study has used a meticulous fatiguing protocol nor reliability scores have been provided. Hamstring peak force, RFD50−100 and RFD100 −150 were assessed at long muscle length in 19 soccer players (26.0 ± 4.1 years) before and after the repeated sprint ability (RSA) test. We aimed to calculate reliability scores for both limbs before and after the fatiguing task, and to compare peak force, RFD50−100 and RFD100−150 following the RSA test to baseline values. Peak force displayed “excellent” reliability scores before and after the RSA test, whereas RFD ICC showed “good” values in both time points, but CV scores were not acceptable (i.e. > 10%). Significant moderate to large decreases were found in peak force (g = − 1.11 to − 0.90), RFD50−100 (g = − 1.37 to − 1.11) and RFD100−150 (g = − 0.84 to − 0.69) in both dominant and non-dominant limbs. Maximal isometric peak force, RFD50−100 and RFD100−150 of the hamstrings tested at long muscle length reduced following the RSA test. However, only peak force displayed “excellent” reliability scores, whereas RFD measures could not be considered acceptable owing to their lower reliability scores. Thus, practitioners can be confident about peak force changes, whilst caution should be used when examining such changes in RFD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  1. Armada-Cortés E, Benítez-Muñoz JA, Sánchez-Sánchez J, Juan AFS. Evaluation of neuromuscular fatigue according to injury history in a repeat sprint ability test, countermovement jump, and hamstring test in elite female soccer players. Appl Sci. 2022;12(6):2970.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Balsalobre-Fernández C, Glaister M, Lockey RA. The validity and reliability of an iPhone app for measuring vertical jump performance. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(15):1574–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Barnes C, Archer DT, Hogg B, Bush M, Bradley PS. The evolution of physical and technical performance parameters in the English Premier League. Int J Sports Med. 2014;35(13):1095–100.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bettariga F, Maestroni L, Martorelli L, Jarvis P, Turner A, Bishop C. The Effects of a unilateral strength and power training intervention on Inter-Limb asymmetry and physical performance in male amateur Soccer players. J Sci Sport Exercise. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-022-00188-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bisciotti GN, Chamari K, Cena E, Carimati G, Volpi P. Hamstring injuries prevention in soccer: a narrative review of current literature. Joints. 2019;7(3):115–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Bishop C. Interlimb asymmetries: are thresholds a usable concept? Strength Cond J. 2021;43(1):32–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bishop C, Read P, Stern D, Turner A. Effects of soccer match-play on unilateral jumping and interlimb asymmetry: a repeated-measures design. J Strength Cond Res. 2020;36(1):193–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bishop C, McAuley W, Read P, Gonzalo-Skok O, Lake J, Turner A. Acute effect of repeated sprints on interlimb asymmetries during unilateral jumping. J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(8):2127–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Bishop C, Anthony T, Matt J, John H, Irineu L, Jason L, Paul C. A framework to guide practitioners for selecting metrics during the countermovement and drop jump tests. Strength Cond J. 2022;44(4):95–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Biz C, Nicoletti P, Baldin G, Bragazzi NL, Crimì A, Ruggieri P. Hamstring strain injury (HSI) prevention in professional and semi-professional football teams: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8272.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Bourne MN, Timmins RG, Opar DA, Pizzari T, Ruddy JD, Sims C, Williams MD, Shield AJ. An evidence-based framework for strengthening exercises to prevent hamstring Injury. Sports Med. 2018;48(2):251–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Buckthorpe MW, Hannah R, Pain TG, Folland JP. Reliability of neuromuscular measurements during explosive isometric contractions, with special reference to electromyography normalization techniques. Muscle Nerve. 2012;46(4):566–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Burigo RL, Scoz RD, Alves BMO, da Silva RA, Melo-Silva CA, Vieira ER, Hirata RP, Amorim CF. Concentric and eccentric isokinetic hamstring injury risk among 582 professional elite soccer players: a 10-years retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2020;6(1):e000868.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Cormack SJ, Newton RU, McGuigan MR, Doyle TL. Reliability of measures obtained during single and repeated countermovement jumps. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2008;3(2):131–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Danielsson A, Horvath A, Senorski C, Alentorn-Geli E, Garrett WE, Cugat R, Samuelsson K, Senorski EK. The mechanism of hamstring injuries–a systematic review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2020;21(1):1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Dasborough M. Book review: Grissom RJ & Kim JJ (2005). Effect sizes for research: a broad practical approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Organ Res Methods. 2007;10(3):542–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Drew MK, Raysmith BP, Charlton PC. Injuries impair the chance of successful performance by sportspeople: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(16):1209–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Ekstrand J, Healy JC, Waldén M, Lee JC, English B, Hägglund M. Hamstring muscle injuries in professional football: the correlation of MRI findings with return to play. Br J Sports Med. 2012;46(2):112–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Ekstrand J, Waldén M, Hägglund M. Hamstring injuries have increased by 4% annually in men’s professional football, since 2001: a 13-year longitudinal analysis of the UEFA Elite Club injury study. 2016;50(12):731–7.

  20. Ekstrand J, Bengtsson H, Waldén M, Davison M, Khan KM, Hägglund M. Hamstring injury rates have increased during recent seasons and now constitute 24% of all injuries in men’s professional football: the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study from 2001/02 to 2021/22. Br J Sports Med. 2022;57(5):292–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Fanchini M, Steendahl IB. Exercise-based strategies to prevent muscle injury in elite footballers: a systematic review and best evidence synthesis. Sports Med. 2020;50(9):1653–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Gallardo-Fuentes F, Gallardo-Fuentes J, Ramírez-Campillo R, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Martínez C, Caniuqueo A, Cañas R, Banzer W, Loturco I, Nakamura FY, Izquierdo M. Intersession and intrasession reliability and validity of the My Jump app for measuring different jump actions in trained male and female athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):2049–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Gathercole RJ, Sporer BC, Stellingwerff T, Sleivert GG. Comparison of the capacity of different jump and sprint field tests to detect neuromuscular fatigue. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(9):2522–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Gathercole R, Sporer B, Stellingwerff T, Sleivert G. Alternative countermovement-jump analysis to quantify acute neuromuscular fatigue. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2015;10(1):84–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. González-Hernández JM, García-Ramos A, Castaño-Zambudio A, Capelo-Ramírez F, Marquez G, Boullosa D, Jiménez-Reyes P. Mechanical, metabolic, and perceptual acute responses to different set configurations in full squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2020;34(6):1581–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Gorostiaga EM, Asiáin X, Izquierdo M, Postigo A, Aguado R, Alonso JM, Ibáñez J. Vertical jump performance and blood ammonia and lactate levels during typical training sessions in elite 400-m runners. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(4):1138–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Grazioli R, Lopez P, Andersen LL, Machado CLF, Pinto MD, Cadore EL, Pinto RS. Hamstring rate of torque development is more affected than maximal voluntary contraction after a professional soccer match. Eur J Sport Sci. 2019;19(10):1336–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Hagglund M, Waldén M, Magnusson H, Kristenson K, Bengtsson H, Ekstrand J. Injuries affect team performance negatively in professional football: an 11-year follow-up of the UEFA Champions League injury study. Br J Sports Med. 2013;47(12):738–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Hawkins RD, Hulse MA, Wilkinson C, Hodson A, Gibson M. The association football medical research programme: an audit of injuries in professional football. Br J Sports Med. 2001;35(1):43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Hickey JT, Opar DA, Weiss LJ, Heiderscheit BC. Hamstring strain injury rehabilitation. J Athl Train. 2022;57(2):125–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Hickey JT, Opar DA, Weiss LJ, Heiderscheit BC. Current clinical concepts: hamstring strain injury rehabilitation. J Athl Train. 2022;57(2):125–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. van der Horst N, Smits D-W, Petersen J, Goedhart EA, Backx FJG. Affiliations expand. The preventive effect of the nordic hamstring exercise on hamstring injuries in amateur soccer players: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(6):1316–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Huygaerts S, Cos F, Cohen DD, Calleja-González J, Guitart M, Blazevich AJ, Alcaraz PE. Mechanisms of hamstring strain injury: interactions between fatigue, muscle activation and function. Sports (Basel, Switzerland). 2020;8(5):65.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Impellizzeri FM, McCall A, van Smeden M. Why methods matter in a meta-analysis: a reappraisal showed inconclusive injury preventive effect of nordic hamstring exercise. J Clin Epidemiol. 2021;140:111–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Knicker A, Renshaw I, Oldham ARH, Cairns SP. Interactive processes link the multiple symptoms of fatigue in sport competition. Sports Med. 2011;41(4):307–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Koo TK, Li MY. A Guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. J Chiropr Med. 2016;15(2):155–63.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Lodge C, Tobin D, O’Rourke B, Thorborg K. Reliability and validity of a new eccentric hamstring strength measurement device. Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl. 2020;2(1):100034.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Maffiuletti NA, Aagaard P, Blazevich AJ, Folland J, Tillin N, Duchateau J. Rate of force development: physiological and methodological considerations. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016;116(6):1091–116.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. McCall A, Nedelec M, Carling C, Le Gall F, Berthoin S, Dupont G. Reliability and sensitivity of a simple isometric posterior lower limb muscle test in professional football players. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(12):1298–304.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. McKay AK, Stellingwerff T, Smith ES, Martin DT, Mujika I, Goosey-Tolfrey VL, Sheppard J, Burke LM. Defining training and performance caliber: a participant classification framework. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2022;17(2):317–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Medeiros DM, Marchiori C, Baroni BM. Effect of nordic hamstring exercise training on knee flexors eccentric strength and fascicle length: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Rehabilitation. 2020;30(3):482–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Opar DA, Timmins RG, Behan FP, Hickey JT, van Dyk N, Price K, Maniar N. Is pre-season eccentric strength testing during the nordic hamstring exercise associated with future hamstring strain injury? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2021;51(9):1935–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Peterson Silveira R, Stergiou P, Carpes FP, de S Castro FA, Katz L, Stefanyshyn DJ. Validity of a portable force platform for assessing biomechanical parameters in three different tasks. Sports Biomech. 2017;16(2):177–86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Rhea MR. Determining the magnitude of treatment effects in strength training research through the use of the effect size. J Strength Conditioning Res. 2004;18(4):918–20.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Ripley NJ, Cuthbert M, Ross S, Comfort P, McMahon JJ. The effect of exercise compliance on risk reduction for hamstring strain injury: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(21):11260.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  46. Rodriguez-Rosell D, Pareja-Blanco F, Aagaard P, González-Badillo JJ. Physiological and methodological aspects of rate of force development assessment in human skeletal muscle. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2018;38(5):743–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Suchomel TJ, Nimphius S, Stone MH. The importance of muscular strength in athletic performance. Sports Med. 2016;46(10):1419–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Sánchez-Medina L, González-Badillo JJ. Velocity loss as an indicator of neuromuscular fatigue during resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(9):1725–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Taylor MJ, Beneke R. Spring mass characteristics of the fastest men on Earth. Int J Sports Med. 2012;33(8):667–70.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Turner AN, Parmar N, Jovanovski A, Hearne G. Assessing group-based changes in high-performance sport. Part 2: effect sizes and embracing uncertainty through confidence intervals. Strength Cond J. 2021;43(4):68–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Tyler TF, Schmitt BM, Nicholas SJ, McHugh MP. Rehabilitation after hamstring-strain injury emphasizing eccentric strengthening at long muscle lengths: results of long-term follow-up. J Sport Rehabil. 2017;26(2):131–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Viera AJ, Garrett JM. Understanding interobserver agreement: the kappa statistic. Fam Med. 2005;37(5):360–3.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Virgile A, Bishop C. A narrative review of limb dominance: task-specificity and the importance of fitness testing. J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(3):846–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Williams S, Trewartha G, Kemp SP, Brooks JH, Fuller CW, Taylor AE, Cross MJ, Stokes KA. Time loss injuries compromise team success in Elite Rugby Union: a 7-year prospective study. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(11):651.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Windt J, Ekstrand J, Khan KM, McCall A, Zumbo BD. Does player unavailability affect football teams’ match physical outputs? A two-season study of the UEFA champions league. J Sci Med Sport. 2018;21(5):525–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

No funding was received for this project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise Medicine Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Francesco Bettariga

  2. School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia

    Francesco Bettariga

  3. London Sport Institute, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, Greenlands Lane, London, UK

    Francesco Bettariga, Chris Bishop, Anthony Turner & Luca Maestroni

  4. StudioErre, Via della Badia 18, 25127 Brescia, Italy

    Francesco Bettariga

  5. ReAct, Via Madonna della Neve 24, 24121 Bergamo, Italy

    Luca Martorelli, Cristiano Algeri & Luca Maestroni

  6. IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Giuseppe Lazzarini

Authors
  1. Francesco Bettariga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chris Bishop
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luca Martorelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anthony Turner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stefano Giuseppe Lazzarini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Cristiano Algeri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Luca Maestroni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

FB: conceptualisation, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, data curation and writing. LMae: conceptualisation, methodology, formal analysis, investigation and supervision. CB, LMar, AT, CA, and SGL: edited and revised the manuscript. All the authors have reviewed and approved the final version of this manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Bettariga.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Francesco Bettariga, Chris Bishop, Luca Martorelli, Anthony Turner, Stefano Giuseppe Lazzarini, Cristiano Algeri, and Luca Maestroni declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bettariga, F., Bishop, C., Martorelli, L. et al. Acute Effects of a Fatiguing Protocol on Peak Force and Rate of Force Development of the Hamstring Muscles in Soccer Players. J. of SCI. IN SPORT AND EXERCISE 6, 177–185 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-023-00228-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-023-00228-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation