The training and tapering practices of highland games heavy event athletes.
No Thumbnail Available
Supplementary material
Other Title
Authors
Winwood, , Paul W
Keogh, Justin W.L
Grieve, Ian
Pritchard, Hayden J
Keogh, Justin W.L
Grieve, Ian
Pritchard, Hayden J
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Grantor
Date
2024-03-01
Supervisors
Type
Journal Article
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
Peak Performance
Resistance training
Strength Training
Throwing
Athlete Performance
Highland games events
Resistance training
Strength Training
Throwing
Athlete Performance
Highland games events
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 38 (3), e116–e124. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000004638
Abstract
This study provides the first empirical evidence of how Highland Games heavy event athletes train and taper for Highland Games competitions. Athletes (n = 169) (mean ± SD: age 40.8 ± 10.7 years, height 181.2 ± 9.5 cm, weight 107.2 ± 23.0 kg, 18.8 ± 10.3 years of general resistance training, and 8.1 ± 6.9 years of competitive Highland Games experience) completed a self-reported 4-page online survey on training and tapering practices. Analysis by sex (male and female) and competitive standard (local or regional, national, and international) was conducted. Seventy-eight percent (n = 132) of athletes reported that they used a taper. Athletes stated that their taper length was 5.2 ± 3.5 days, with the step (36%) and linear tapers (33%) being the most performed. Athletes reported that their highest training volume and intensity were 5.5 and 3.8 weeks out (respectively) from competition, and all training ceased 2.4 ± 1.4 days before competition. Training volume decreased during the taper by 34%. Athletes typically stated that, tapering was performed to achieve recovery, peak performance, and injury prevention; training intensity, frequency, and duration stayed the same or decreased; game-specific training increased with reductions in traditional exercises; the caber toss, weight for height, and heavy weight throw were performed further out from competition than other events; muscular power and strength were the most common types of training performed; static stretching, foam rolling, and massage were strategies used in the taper; and poor tapering occurred because of life/work circumstances, lack of sleep/rest, or training too heavy/hard. These results may aid Highland Games athletes to optimize training and tapering variables leading to improved performances.
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer Health
Permanent link
Link to ePress publication
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000004638
Copyright holder
Journal of Strength and Conditional Research and Wolters Kluwer Health
Copyright notice
Our hybrid journal articles are published under the CC BY-NC-ND license as standard. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND): This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. *Lippincott will permit the author to deposit a final peer-reviewed manuscript on his/her personal website, university's institutional repository or employer's intranet only after twelve months have passed from the article’s publication date. The final peer-reviewed manuscript may not be updated or replaced with a proof of the final article. The final peer-reviewed manuscript must appear alongside the following notice: "This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in (provide complete journal citation).