Vince Kelly

Queensland University of Technology | QUT · School of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences

Purpose: This investigation sought to determine industry perceptions of postgraduate strength and conditioning (S&C) degrees to understand whether graduates are equipped for the demands of sport performance service roles. Methods: Survey data were collected from 111 participants employed as performance staff or in a role that recruits and superv...

Montmorency cherry (MC) can improve endurance performance, but optimal pre‐exercise timing of supplementation and influence of training status on efficacy are unknown. We investigated the effect of MC concentrate ingestion between 30‐ and 150‐min pre‐exercise in trained and recreational cyclists on 15‐km time trial (TT) performance and exercise eco...

Redman, KJ, Wade, L, Whitley, R, Connick, MJ, Kelly, VG, and Beckman, EM. Seasonal muscular power changes: considerations of concurrent resistance and field-based training in professional rugby league. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-A rugby league player's ability to develop or maintain lower-body power will be significantly influenced by...

Introduction: Esports demand peak cognitive performance from esports athletes (e’athletes), yet their sedentary lifestyle raises concerns. This pilot study explores the effects of aerobic exercise on executive function, cerebral haemodynamics, and heart rate variability during gameplay. Methods: Six high-ranking male e’athletes (20.8 ± 2.1 years o...

Background Esports is competitive video gaming, performed within teams or individually, across multiple genres. Players are required to be sedentary for extended periods and require a high-level of cognitive skills for successful competitive performance. There are conflicting findings within the physical activity research in the esports industry....

Background Research into esports suggests that e’athletes experience physiological stressors and demands during competition and training. The physiological demands of esports are poorly understood and need to be investigated further to inform future training guidelines, optimise performance outcomes, and manage e’athlete wellbeing. This research ai...

Background Research into esports suggests that e’athletes experience physiological stressors and demands during competition and training. The physiological demands of esports are poorly understood and need to be investigated further to inform future training guidelines, optimise performance outcomes, and manage e’athlete wellbeing. This research ai...

Background Esports is competitive video gaming, performed within teams or individually, across multiple genres. Players are required to be sedentary for extended periods and require a high-level of cognitive skills for successful competitive performance. There are conflicting findings within the physical activity research in the esports industry. T...

Harrison, PW, James, LP, Jenkins, DG, McGuigan, MR, Holmberg, PM, and Kelly, VG. The effects of low-load squat jump and maximal isometric priming exercise on muscular performance and perceptual state. J Strength Cond Res 38(1): 1–9, 2024—The aim of this study was to examine responses at 3 and 27 hours after low-load jump squat (LL) and maximal isom...

Harrison, PW, James, LP, Jenkins, DG, Holmberg, PM, and Kelly, VG. Effects of repeated jump testing and diurnal changes on subsequent countermovement jump and squat jump output and force-time characteristics. J Strength Cond Res 38(1): 174–179, 2024—The aim of this brief study was to investigate the effects of repeated jump testing on performance o...

Background Research into esports suggests that e’athletes experience multiple physiological stressors and demands during competition and training. The physiological demands of esports are poorly understood and need to be investigated further to inform future training guidelines, optimise performance outcomes, and manage e’athlete wellbeing. The aim...

Harrison, PW, Kelly, VG, Jenkins, DG, McGuigan, MR, Holmberg, PM, and James, LP. Does moderate-load priming activity influence maximal upper-body performance and perceptual state?. J Strength Cond Res 37(11): e581–e587, 2023—The results of previous research indicate that resistance exercise “priming” may improve strength-power measures within 48 ho...

The term ‘priming exercise’ has recently been introduced to describe exercise stimuli prescribed to enhance performance within 1–48 hours of that stimulus. Despite evidence of these activities being utilised in competitive settings, the reasoning underpinning the application of priming exercise is not yet clear. Therefore, this study aimed to explo...

Introduction: Esports is a rapidly growing industry, attracting millions of viewers worldwide and generating billions of dollars in revenue. Esports involves competitive video gaming, typically performed in teams or individually, across a range of genres, with large cash prizes at stake. While e-athletes require high levels of cognitive skill for s...

Agility has commonly been regarded as a physical quality, and strength and conditioning practitioners have typically used a closed environment approach for developing agility. This closed environment approach involves the decoupling of perception and action, where actions are trained in isolation from perception. Previous studies have shown, howeve...

Background In recent years, the length of elite sporting competitions has raised concerns regarding player well-being, highlighting a need to review current match calendars. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perceptions of elite National Rugby League (NRL) players and staff on the annual training and competition calendar from a player work...

Purpose: Mental fatigue causes decreases in aspects of athletes' performance. Elite coaches commonly undertake cognitively demanding tasks and are seemingly at similar risk of subsequent performance impairment. However, elite sport coaches' experiences of mental fatigue, alongside other markers of psychobiological stress, have yet to be quantified...

Organisations governing football codes worldwide continually seek to optimise the balance between their match calendar and commercial revenue. For many competitions, the result is more matches, and consequently, increased workload and travel demands for players. However, as competitions expand, the greater volume and/or intensity of workload challe...

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training exists to improve supportive behaviours towards peers, increase mental health literacy, and reduce stigma. Community sport clubs have potential to successfully deliver mental health programs. This study investigated the effectiveness of online MHFA training undertaken by members of the rugby community and eva...

Successful performances in rugby league require the ability to engage in repeated contact efforts with minimal recovery while maintaining a high running intensity. The capacity to express high levels of time-limited force appears to underlie many important physical attributes required to meet the repeated-effort demands of rugby league play. If app...

Purpose: This study examined the relationships between training workloads, game workloads, and match performance in an elite netball team. Methods: Ten elite female netball athletes were monitored over a complete season. Training and game external workloads were determined through inertial movement units and expressed as absolute PlayerLoad (PL)...

Combined heavy‐ and light‐load ballistic training is often employed in high‐performance sport to improve athletic performance and is accompanied by adaptations in muscle architecture. However, little is known about how training affects muscle‐tendon unit (MTU) kinematics during the execution of a sport‐specific skill (e.g., jumping), which could im...

“Priming exercises” are gaining popularity as a precompetition strategy to improve subsequent performance. Although priming exercise has been shown to improve various neuromuscular performance measures within 48 hours, a number of studies have also found no change or significant decreases in performance following priming interventions. Inconsistenc...

Purpose: Periods away from training and competition are necessary for physical and mental restoration in sport. There is limited research investigating changes to physical qualities in rugby league following prolonged breaks. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the off-season on muscular power in rugby league. In addition, this study aimed...

Many elite sporting codes have imposed severe restrictions on crowd attendance at games to minimise COVID-19 infection risk, which created a rare opportunity to examine the influence of absent crowds on elite sporting performance. This study used a retrospective observational design to investigate the influence of the crowd in the National Rugby Le...

This case series, team-based study aimed to compare the demands imposed during conditioning training and match-play in netball players. Female netball players competing at semi-professional (n = 9, age: 22.2 ± 3.8 years) and development (n = 9, age: 22.3 ± 2.9 years) levels had their internal (rating of perceived exertion (RPE)) and external (relat...

Background: Research in sport, military, and aerospace populations has shown that mental fatigue may impair cognitive performance. The effect of nutritional interventions that may mitigate such negative effects has been investigated. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the effects of nutritional interventions on cognitive dom...

Purpose: Tackling is a fundamental skill in collision sports such as rugby league. Given the complexity of tackling and multitude of strength and power variables available for analysis, this study aimed to predict tackle outcomes in professional rugby league based on strength and power principal components (PCs). Methods: Twenty-eight rugby leag...

Objectives To examine potential changes in mental and physical fatigue across an elite netball pre-season training phase and relationships between mental fatigue, physical fatigue, salivary cortisol (sCort) and alpha-amylase (sAA). Design Observational with repeated measures. Methods Across a 16-week pre-season, 10 elite female netballers (25.3 ±...

Introduction: Montmorency cherry concentrate (MCC) supplementation enhances functional recovery from exercise, potentially due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, to date, supporting empirical evidence for these mechanistic hypotheses is reliant on indirect blood biomarkers. This study is the first to investigate functional reco...

Purpose: Mental fatigue is emerging as an important consideration for elite sporting performance, yet it is rarely monitored. The present study assessed changes in mental fatigue in professional team-sport athletes across 2 seasons and examined the relationship between mental fatigue and other athlete self-report measures of well-being. Methods:...

The ability of a rugby league player to express high levels of strength and power is crucial for success in competition. Although researchers have shown relationships between physical attributes and performance, there is a lack of information related to changes in strength and power across various phases of the season. The purpose of this review wa...

Purpose: To examine the sleep of rugby league athletes the night before and following an evening match and to investigate the association between caffeine intake and sleep on the night of competition. Methods: On the night prior to, night of, and night after a professional rugby league match, 15 athletes had their sleep monitored using wrist act...

The rapid growth in trick progression for competitive snowboarding over the past 20 years has resulted in increased physical demands required from snowboarding athletes. Despite a wealth of knowledge surrounding strength and conditioning principles for other sports, researchers are yet to address the novel strength and conditioning challenges faced...

Redman, KJ, Connick, MJ, Beckman, EM, and Kelly, VG. Monitoring prescribed and actual resistance training loads in professional rugby league. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Coaches devote a considerable amount of time and effort prescribing and selecting exercises to elicit training adaptations. Adherence to the prescribed resistance trai...

Tart cherry (TC) supplementation can improve exercise recovery and performance; and may also improve sleep duration and quality. This study investigated the use and knowledge of TC supplementation by athletes of all competitive levels. Eighty participants (52.5% elite (international, national, professional), 47.5% sub-elite (semi-professional, stat...

Mental fatigue has been shown to negatively influence physical, technical and tactical aspects of sporting performance. However, mental fatigue is not routinely monitored or managed in elite sport and it is not clear whether mental fatigue occurs and/or changes across the varied contextual demands experienced by elite athletes in training, preparat...

Redman, KJ, Wade, L, Whitley, R, Connick, MJ, Kelly, VG, and Beckman, EM. The relationship between match tackle outcomes and muscular strength and power in professional rugby league. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Tackling is a fundamental skill in collision sports, such as rugby league. Match success is largely dependent on a player's ab...

Holmberg, PM, Gorman, AD, Jenkins, DG, and Kelly, VG. Lower-body aquatic training prescription for athletes. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Traditionally prescribed to manage various medical ailments and promote healing, aquatic immersion may provide a favorable environment to undertake preparatory training tasks given its profound biolog...

Tart cherry (TC) supplementation has been shown to accelerate post-exercise recovery, enhance endurance performance and improve sleep duration and quality. This study aimed to identify the use, practices and attitudes of sports nutrition and strength and conditioning practitioners towards tart cherry supplementation. Thirty-five practitioners anony...

Professional rugby league (RL) football is a contact sport involving repeated collisions and high-intensity efforts; both training and competition involve high energy expenditure. The present review summarizes and critiques the available literature relating the physiological demands of RL to nutritional requirements and considers potential ergogeni...

Competitive snowboarding (SB) has rapidly grown in popularity since its introduction into the Olympics in 1998. This growth has seen a significant increase in trick difficulty and the associated physical demands required for success. Despite the increase in physical requirements, there are currently no evidence-based recommendations that incorporat...

Crang, ZL, Hewitt, A, Scott, TJ, Kelly, VG, and Johnston, RD. Relationship between pre-season training load, match performance and match activities in professional rugby league. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-This study aimed to establish the relationship between preseason training loads, technical match performance, and physical match ac...

Purpose: To examine potential differences in internal and external workload variables between playing positions and between training drills and games within an elite netball team during training and competition. Methods: Nine elite female netballers were monitored during 15 games and all training sessions over 28 weeks. Workload variables assess...

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of 20 minutes of external counterpulsation (ECP) on subsequent 1.2-km shuttle run test (1.2SRT) performance and perceived recovery following fatiguing high-intensity exercise. Methods: After familiarization, 13 recreationally active males (21.4 [1.9] y) participated in 2 experimental trials in a randomized cros...

Purpose: To examine relationships between external- and internal-workload variables in an elite female netball team, with consideration of positional differences. Methods: Nine elite female netball athletes had their weekly workloads monitored across their preseason and competition phases of a season. Internal workload was determined using summa...

Objectives Aviation Rescue Firefighters (ARFF) require physical fitness specific to the aviation environment. This study aims to determine the physical fitness of ARFF and predictors of performance on ARFF-specific tasks from laboratory-based fitness measures. Methods Forty-two male ARFF (mean ± SD; age 38.4 ± 7.6 years, body mass index 26.2 ± 2.2...

Purpose To explore the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) within a professional rugby league team and determine associations of OSA with ethnicity, positional group, and physical characteristics. Methods 22 professional rugby league athletes underwent one night of home-based polysomnography with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), rapid eye movem...

James, LP, Connick, M, Haff, GG, Kelly, VG, and Beckman, EM. The countermovement jump mechanics of mixed martial arts competitors. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Gross countermovement jump (CMJ) performance measures are greater in higher-level mixed martial arts (MMA) competitors than lower-level (LL) competitors. Differences in CMJ kinet...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to map responses over 32 hours following high-load (HL) and moderate-load (ML) half-squat priming. Methods: Fifteen participants completed control, HL (87% 1RM), and ML (65% 1RM) activities in randomized, counterbalanced order. Countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), saliva testosterone, saliva cortisol, a...

Purpose: To investigate and explore the relationships between physiological and perceptual recovery and stress responses to elite netball tournament workloads. Methods: Nine elite female netballers were observed across a 3-day (T1-3), 4-match tournament. Participants provided salivary samples for cortisol and alpha-amylase analysis, completed th...

This study explored longitudinal changes in contemporary mixed martial arts (MMA) combat within the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A secondary aim was to investigate how bout duration influences the contribution of performance indicators on outcome. Data were acquired via the official analytics provider to the UFC (FightMetric). Male fights...

Objectives: To assess the magnitude of changes in, and relationships between, physical and mental fatigue pre-to-post match in elite development netballers. Design: Observational. Methods: Twelve female netballers (21.3±2.9 years) competing in the Australian Netball League reported perceptual measures of mental and physical fatigue pre- and po...

Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning

Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning

Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning

Recent scientific evidence supports the use of a low-volume strength–power ‘resistance priming’ session prior to sporting competition in an effort to enhance neuromuscular performance. Though research evidence relating to this strategy is presently limited, it has been shown to be effective in improving various measures of neuromuscular performance...

Objectives: Recent research has revealed that low volume resistance 'priming' exercise may improve neuromuscular performance when completed within 48h before competition. The aim of this study was to investigate the current prevalence and application of this strategy by practitioners in sport. Design: This study surveyed practitioners who were c...

Purpose: Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity shown to negatively influence physical performance. Variation exists across the literature regarding the manifestations and impact of mental fatigue; with little knowledge of the domain-specific manifestations in elite sport. The difficu...

Purpose: External counterpulsation (ECP) has previously been used to treat cardiac patients via compression of the lower extremities during diastole to increase venous return and coronary perfusion. However, the effects of ECP on exercise performance and markers of recovery in elite athletes are largely unknown. Methods: On 2 separate occasions,...

Polyphenols are characterised structurally by two or more hydroxyl groups attached to one or more benzene rings, and provide the taste and colour characteristics of fruits and vegetables. They are radical scavengers and metal chelators, but due to their low concentration in biological fluids in vivo their antioxidant properties seem to be related t...

Abstract Redman, K, Steel, K, Kelly, V, and Siegler, J. Effects of a rugby league match simulation on decision-making in elite junior rugby league. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2019—The paucity of research on decision-making in Rugby league within the context of a match, and the potential for age and playing experience to influence decision-...

Physical profile data from elite, sub-elite, regional, under 21s (U21), under 19s (U19) and under 17s (U17) (n = 845) players from a state netball association in Australia were analysed. Within season changes were examined for the elite and sub-elite players. Longitudinal changes were examined for the elite across four consecutive netball seasons....

Objectives: Mental fatigue resulting from prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity, has been found to impair endurance exercise performance and performance in some sport-specific tasks. The application of such research to the elite sporting environment however is limited. Design & Methods: This article reviews the literature relevant to me...

This investigation sought to determine the relevance of anaerobic and aerobic-based measures to competition level and bout outcome in mixed martial arts competitors. For the primary analysis, seven higher-level and eight lower-level male mixed martial arts competitors were compared across a series of short-term anaerobic (sprints at 10 and 20 m), r...

Objective: To examine the usefulness of sleep hygiene education on the sleep of professional rugby league athletes during a 10-week period of the competitive season. Design: Case study. Participants: Twenty-four professional rugby league athletes. Measurements: Initially, participants were monitored for a 2-week period using wrist activity m...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the test–retest reliability of a modified 30-15 intermittent fitness test (30-15IFT-28m) with elite wheelchair rugby (WR) players. Materials and methods: Ten elite WR players from the Australian Wheelchair Rugby team attended two testing sessions separated by a minimum of 48 h. In each session,...

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability and usefulness of a proposed 4-min individualised submaximal shuttle run test (SSRIndiv) in elite rugby league players. Materials and methods: Twenty-two elite rugby league players competing in the National Rugby League competition (23.2 ± 3.4 years, 186.8 ± 5.4 cm, 100.2 ± 8.5 kg...

This study examined the changes in running performance, maximal blood lactate concentrations and running kinematics between 85%BM anti-gravity (AG) running and normal over-ground (OG) running over an 8-week training period. Fifteen elite male developmental cricketers were assigned to either the AG or over-ground (CON) running group. The AG group (n...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether weightlifting actions are a viable method for improving athletic performance amongst weaker, inexperienced lifters when compared to individuals with a greater power clean result, and hence weightlifting ability and experience. Two groups of males with distinctly different power clean perfor...

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between tennis serve speed and isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) kinetic variables; countermovement jump height (CMJ Height), shoulder internal and external rotation strength and anthropometric measures in elite adolescent tennis players. Twenty-one elite junior tennis players fro...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the magnitude of adaptation to integrated ballistic training is influenced by initial strength level. Such information is needed to inform resistance training guidelines for both higher- and lower-level athlete populations. To this end, two groups of distinctly different strength levels (stronge...

Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning