Liam Anderson

University of Birmingham · School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Muscle glycogen is the predominant energy source for soccer match play, though its importance for soccer training (where lower loads are observed) is not well known. In an attempt to better inform carbohydrate (CHO) guidelines, we quantified training load in English Premier League soccer players (n = 12) during a one-, two- and three-game week sche...

In an attempt to better identify and inform the energy requirements of elite soccer players, we quantified the energy expenditure (EE) of players from the English Premier League (n=6) via the doubly labeled water method (DLW) over a 7-day in-season period. Energy intake (EI) was also assessed using food diaries, supported by the remote food photogr...

Maintaining muscle mass and function during rehabilitation from anterior cruciate ligament injury is complicated by the challenge of accurately prescribing daily energy intakes aligned to energy expenditure. Accordingly, we present a 38-week case study characterizing whole body and regional rates of muscle atrophy and hypertrophy (as inferred by as...

Despite more than four decades of research examining the physical demands of match-play, quantification of the customary training loads of adult male professional soccer players is comparatively recent. The training loads experienced by players during weekly micro-cycles are influenced by phase of season, player position, frequency of games, player...

There is considerably greater variation in metabolic rates between men than between women, in terms of basal, activity and total (daily) energy expenditure (EE). One possible explanation is that EE is associated with male sexual characteristics (which are known to vary more than other traits) such as musculature and athletic capacity. Such traits m...

Obesity is caused by a prolonged positive energy balance1,2. Whether reduced energy expenditure stemming from reduced activity levels contributes is debated3,4. Here we show that in both sexes, total energy expenditure (TEE) adjusted for body composition and age declined since the late 1980s, while adjusted activity energy expenditure increased ove...

Beato, M, Datson, N, Anderson, L, Brownlee, T, Coates, A, and Hulton, A. Rationale and practical recommendations for testing protocols in female soccer: A narrative review. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2023-The aim of this narrative review is to evaluate the presented literature on tests (aerobic, speed, changes of direction [COD], strength,...

Water is essential for survival, but one in three individuals worldwide (2.2 billion people) lacks access to safe drinking water. Water intake requirements largely reflect water turnover (WT), the water used by the body each day. We investigated the determinants of human WT in 5604 people from the ages of 8 days to 96 years from 23 countries using...

In mammals, trait variation is often reported to be greater among males than females. However, to date, mainly only morphological traits have been studied. Energy expenditure represents the metabolic costs of multiple physical, physiological, and behavioral traits. Energy expenditure could exhibit particularly high greater male variation through a...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a combined jump and sprint training program, two sessions a week for 6 weeks, on sprinting, change of directions (COD) and jumping performance in semi-professional soccer players. Twenty soccer players were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial (age 20 ± 2 years, body mass 74.3 ± 5.9 kg). Players...

Professional soccer players typically perform regular training sessions and match play for most of the yearly macrocycle with limited time focused on solely developing physical development. The COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 caused mass disruption to professional soccer but provided an opportunity for an alternative approach to training in attempt to de...

Objectives: To investigate if maturity status was associated with injury risk in male academy soccer players. Design: Prospective cohort surveillance study. Setting: Professional soccer academies. Participants: 501 players (aged 9-23 years) from eight academies in England, Spain, Uruguay and Brazil. Main outcome measures: Players were grouped...

Context It is unclear whether playing position influences injury in male academy soccer players (ASP). Objective To determine if playing position is associated with injury in ASP. Design Descriptive Epidemiology Study. Setting English, Spanish, Uruguayan and Brazilian soccer academies. Participants 369 ASP from Under 14 (U14) to U23 age groups,...

Low total energy expenditure (TEE, MJ/d) has been a hypothesized risk factor for weight gain, but repeatability of TEE, a critical variable in longitudinal studies of energy balance, is understudied. We examine repeated doubly labeled water (DLW) measurements of TEE in 348 adults and 47 children from the IAEA DLW Database (mean ± SD time interval:...

It is currently unknown if injury risk is associated with genetic variation in academy soccer players (ASP). We investigated whether nine candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated (individually and in combination) with injury in ASP at different stages of maturation. Saliva samples and one season’s injury records were collected from...

Background: Physical activity may be a way to increase and maintain fat-free mass (FFM) in later life, similar to the prevention of fractures by increasing peak bone mass. Objectives: A study is presented of the association between FFM and physical activity in relation to age. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, FFM was analyzed in relation t...

A lifetime of change Measurements of total and basal energy in a large cohort of subjects at ages spanning from before birth to old age document distinct changes that occur during a human lifetime. Pontzer et al . report that energy expenditure (adjusted for weight) in neonates was like that of adults but increased substantially in the first year o...

Understanding the impacts of activity on energy balance is crucial. Increasing levels of activity may bring diminishing returns in energy expenditure because of compensatory responses in non-activity energy expenditures.1, 2, 3 This suggestion has profound implications for both the evolution of metabolism and human health. It implies that a long-te...

PurposeTo examine the prevalence of disordered eating (DE) in elite male and female soccer players and the influence of perfectionism.Methods Using a cross-sectional design, elite male (n = 137) and female (n = 70) soccer players and non-athlete controls (n = 179) completed the clinical perfectionism questionnaire (CPQ-12) and the eating attitudes...

The doubly labeled water (DLW) method measures total energy expenditure (TEE) in free-living subjects. Several equations are used to convert isotopic data into TEE. Using the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) DLW database (5,756 measurements of adults and children), we show considerable variability is introduced by different equations. The...

Objectives To investigate the most common types and locations of injuries in high-level youth soccer players (YSP). Design Prospective cohort surveillance study. Setting Professional soccer club academies. Participants Six hundred twenty-four high-level YSP [Under 9 (U9) to U23 year-old age groups] from academies in England, Spain, Uruguay and Braz...

Purpose:: To better understand the energy and carbohydrate (CHO) requirements of a professional goalkeeper (GK) in elite soccer, we quantified physical loading, energy expenditure (EE) and energy intake (EI) during a two game per week in-season micro-cycle. Methods:: Daily training and match loads were assessed in a professional GK |(age, 26 yea...

The physical demands of soccer match play have been extensively studied. Muscle glycogen is the major energy source required to meet these demands and strategies to maximise this provide clear performance benefits to match play. Such information has allowed sports nutritionists to develop specific guidelines to optimise physical performance and rec...

The daily distribution of macronutrient intake can modulate aspects of training adaptations, performance and recovery. We therefore assessed the daily distribution of macronutrient intake (as assessed using food diaries supported by the remote food photographic method and 24 h recalls) of professional soccer players (n=6) of the English Premier Lea...

Purpose: To quantify the accumulative training and match load during an annual season in English Premier League soccer players classified as starters (n=8, started ≥60% of games), fringe players (n=7, started 30-60% of games) and non-starters (n=4, started <30%% of games). Methods: Players were monitored during all training sessions and games co...

We examined the effects of an intensive fixture schedule on salivary IgA (SIgA) concentration in professional soccer players from the English Premier League. Salivary samples were obtained from 21 males who participated in seven games over a 30-day period during December 2013 and January 2014 (games 1-5 occurred in a 15-day period). Salivary-IgA de...

The complexity of the physical demands of soccer requires the completion of a multi-component training programme. The development, planning, and implementation of such a programme is difficult due partly to the practical constraints related to the competitive schedule at the top level. The effective planning and organisation of training is therefor...