FOOTBALL TWO-A-DAY PRACTICES ARE DESTRUCTIVE
Mitchell, C. R., Hutchinson, A. T., Clark, M., & Crouse, S. F. (2001). Muscle power in collegiate football athletes before and after the two-a-day practice period. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(5), Supplement abstract 892.
Muscle power production in football players before and after a preseason two-a-day practice period was compared. Ss (N = 34) practiced ~6 hours a day for three weeks.
Muscle power and body weight decreased significantly over the training period. This raises the possibility of heightened injury rates or the development of overtraining. The value of two-a-day practices in football needs to be reassessed.
Implication. Two-a-day football practice "camps" cause muscular power to deteriorate and physically debilitate the players.
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