Effects of Morning Strength and Power Priming Exercises on Afternoon Physical and Cognitive Performance in Male Rugby Union Players.
Jamie Knight, Mark Russell, Daniel Cunningham et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomised, counterbalanced study examined whether morning strength and power exercises affected afternoon physical and cognitive performance in 25 male rugby union players. Players completed either passive rest or barbell squat and squat-jump exercises 5.5 hours before afternoon testing. Compared with control, priming was associated with improved afternoon sprint performance: 30 m fly time changed by −0.08 ± 0.13 s after priming versus 0.03 ± 0.07 s with control, and 40 m time by −0.12 ± 0.17 s versus 0.01 ± 0.09 s. Jump flight time also improved; cognitive test results did not change.
Key findings
- Sprint times improved after priming: 30 m fly changed by −0.08 ± 0.13 s versus 0.03 ± 0.07 s with control; 40 m changed by −0.12 ± 0.17 s versus 0.01 ± 0.09 s.
- Afternoon countermovement jump flight time improved by 2% after priming versus 0% with control (p = 0.012, ES: −0.53).
- No changes were found in rapid visual information processing, spatial working memory, or paired associates of learning (p > 0.05).
Why it matters
The findings suggest that a morning session combining heavy-load squats and lighter ballistic squat jumps may carry over to afternoon sprinting and jumping performance in male rugby players. The absence of detected cognitive changes indicates that the observed benefit was specific to the physical outcomes assessed, rather than extending to the tested cognitive tasks.
What to keep in mind
The study involved 25 male rugby union players, so the findings may not generalise to other populations. Outcomes were assessed within the same day, and the abstract does not report longer-term effects.