1. Managing player load in professional rugby union, Quarrie et al, BJSM This is a paper that was really carried by Dr Ken Quarrie, who works in New Zealand and is a colleague of mine on World Rugby' s Scientific Committee. The background is that a few years ago, World Rugby brought a host of experts together for a discussion on the specific issue of how player welfare can improved through load management. We know that the incidence of injury in professional rugby is relatively high, and managing load (either too high, or as recently been shown, too low) are predictors of injury. So this paper is the summary from that meeting, and it offers some data on the load currently faced by rugby players, and practical ways that the load might be monitored and managed. I' d really recommend it for any S&C coach, coach or medical role-player who is interested in the topic. 2. Rugby Sevens: Olympic debutant and research catalyst, Tucker 2016, BJSM This is a...
Some of the most common reasons why people get painful or tight calves from exercise are: l Training errors/changes l Change of shoes l You've upset a nerve l Muscle tears l Medial tibial stress (shin splints) Training errors that may cause tight or painful calves Any change in your training routine that will cause a sudden increase in load on the calf muscles may cause them to tighten up or hurt. The two best examples are speed work and hilly runs – both of these training sessions force you to run more on your toes, which will increase the load on the calf muscles. For the same reason, changing your running style to running more on your mid foot or forefoot can cause trouble if you introduce it too quickly. Interestingly, a study of 1500 recreational runners have found that running less than 40km per week and being a member of an athletics club appears to protect you against calf injuries! One could argue that being...