The Effects of Increased vs. Traditional Squat Stance Width on Performance Indices in Elite Rugby League Players

The Effects of Increased vs. Traditional Squat Stance Width on Performance Indices in Elite Rugby League Players; an 8-week Pre-season Randomized Control Intervention

The back squat is a commonly utilized resistance training exercise for the promotion of both performance and musculoskeletal health. There are a range of manipulations that can be made to the setup of this resistance exercise, with once such adaptation being the stance width when performing the exercise. This intervention aims to explore the effects of increasing the stance with on performance indices in elite rugby league players.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sports Performance
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Normal stance width; Behavioral: Wide stance width

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Lancashire
    • Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom, PR4 0PE
      • University of Central Lancashire

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Rugby league player contracted to a professional Super League team
• 5-years minimum of back squat experience
• Male
• Injury free for 6-months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Any injury at baseline
• Any international matches played during the between season break

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Normal stance width; Those assigned to this group will complete their pre-season training as normal i.e. when performing their squat exercises they will do so using their habitual (self-selected) stance width.	Behavioral: Normal stance width; Normal self-selected stance width when performing squat exercises.
Experimental: Wide stance width; Those assigned to this (i.e. experimental) group will also complete their pre-season training as normal, the only exception will be that when performing their squat exercises they will increase their stance width by 20% compared to their self-selected stance width.	Behavioral: Wide stance width; Increased stance with (by 20% over their own self-selected stance width) when performing squat exercises.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
505 agility test	Test of 180 degree turning ability, measured using timing gates.	Baseline
505 agility test	Test of 180 degree turning ability, measured using timing gates.	8-weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body mass	Body mass using a weighing scale.	Baseline
Body mass	Body mass using a weighing scale.	8-weeks
Sum of skinfold thickness	Skinfold thicknesses measured using callipers at eight sites according to the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) restricted profile (triceps, subscapular, biceps, iliac crest, supraspinal, abdominal, mid-thigh, and medial calf)	Baseline
Sum of skinfold thickness	Skinfold thicknesses measured using callipers at eight sites according to the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) restricted profile (triceps, subscapular, biceps, iliac crest, supraspinal, abdominal, mid-thigh, and medial calf)	8-weeks
Three repetition maximum squat strength	The maximum squat weight that can be lifted for a total of three repetitions	Baseline
Three repetition maximum squat strength	The maximum squat weight that can be lifted for a total of three repetitions	8-weeks
Counter movement jump height	The maximum height that can be jumped vertically, measured using a jump mat.	Baseline
Counter movement jump height	The maximum height that can be jumped vertically, measured using a jump mat.	8-weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Central Lancashire

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 16, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): August 18, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 6, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 31, 2022
• Last Verified: August 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Squat stance width

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No