A Preliminary, Work-Based Study of Hypertrophic Training and Landing Mechanics of Adolescent Female Athletes in Queensland

A Preliminary, Work-Based Study of Hypertrophic Training and Landing Mechanics of Adolescent Female Athletes in Queensland

This work-based project employed a quasi-experimental design to investigate the impact of a hypertrophy-based resistance training program aimed at potentially mitigating the well-documented disparity in lower-limb injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, in adolescent female athletes. Sixteen volunteer adolescent female athletes completed a drop-jump landing task in stepping off a 30cm box landing onto a dual force plate, followed by an immediate jump and re-land protocol. Anthropometric, force, knee flexion, and valgus data were collected. Participants were divided between an intervention and comparison group, with the intervention group completing an eight-week, targeted hypertrophy program. After the intervention period, the drop-jump test was repeated using identical measures. The intervention group showed a statistically significant reduction in lower limb anthropometric mean skinfold data compared with the comparison group. Peak landing force showed a decrease in the intervention group compared with the comparison group and this was most marked in the right limb. Peak propulsive force increased in the intervention group, however, was not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed for knee valgus. Knee flexion angle also showed no statistical significance, although measurements indicated there was a negative correlation between knee valgus right and peak propulsive force. This work-based study suggests that a lower-limb hypertrophy-based intervention program might have a positive effect on adolescent female muscle development over an eight-week period. The resulting reduction in peak landing force at impact may be significant in the mitigation of lower-limb injury in adolescent female athletes participating in court and field-based sports, a topic for future investigation. This conclusion has implications for how practitioner-based training can be implemented in sports exercise environments.

Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions.