Acute effects of two different warm-up protocols on flexibility and lower limb explosive performance in male and female high level athletes

Abstract

This study examined the effects of two different warm-up protocols on lower limb power and flexibility in high level athletes. Twenty international level fencers (10 males and 10 females) performed two warm-up protocols that included 5-min light jogging and either short (15s) or long (45s) static stretching exercises for each of the main leg muscle groups (quadriceps, hamstrings and triceps surae), followed by either 3 sets of 3 (short stretching treatment), or 3 sets of 5 tuck jumps (long stretching treatment), in a randomized crossover design with one week between treatments. Hip joint flexion was measured with a Lafayette goniometer before and after the 5-min warm-up, after stretching and 8 min after the tuck jumps, while counter movement jump (CMJ) performance was evaluated by an Ergojump contact platform, before and after the stretching treatment, as well as immediately after and 8 minutes after the tuck jumps. Three way ANOVA (condition, time, gender) revealed significant time (p < 0.001) and gender (p < 0.001) main effects for hip joint flexion, with no interaction between factors. Flexibility increased by 6. 8 ± 1.1% (p < 0.01) after warm-up and by another 5.8 ± 1.6% (p < 0.01) after stretching, while it remained increased 8 min after the tuck jumps. Women had greater ROM compared with men at all time points (125 ± 8° vs. 94 ± 4° p<0.01 at baseline), but the pattern of change in hip flexibility was not different between genders. CMJ performance was greater in men compared with women at all time points (38.2 ± 1.9 cm vs. 29.8 ± 1.2 cm p < 0.01 at baseline), but the percentage of change CMJ performance was not different between genders. CMJ performance remained unchanged throughout the short stretching protocol, while it decreased by 5.5 ± 0.9% (p < 0.01) after stretching in the long stretching protocol However, 8 min after the tuck jumps, CMJ performance was not different from the baseline value (p = 0.075). In conclusion, lower limb power may be decreased after long periods of stretching, but performance of explosive exercises may reverse this phenomenon.

Keywords: Countermovement jump; fencing; post-activation potentiation; stretching.

Figure 1.

Experimental protocol of the study.

Figure 2.

Countermovement jump (CMJ) performance in the two conditions (short and long duration stretching). Data are expressed in absolute values (cm) only at baseline (after the 5 min run), while CMJ performance at the other time points is expressed as a percentage of the corresponding baseline value. Time points: after the stretching protocols (post stretch), immediately after (post jumps) and 8 min following the tuck jumps (8 min). **: p < 0.01 from baseline only in the LONG condition; †: p < 0.05 between LONG and SHORT CMJ performance at the corresponding time point.

Figure 3.

Hip joint flexion range of motion (ROM) in the two conditions (short and long duration stretching). Data are expressed in absolute values (^o) only at baseline (before the 5 min run), while ROM at the other time points is expressed as a percentage of the corresponding baseline value. Time points: after the 5 min run (post 5 min run), after the stretching protocols (post stretch) and 8 min following the tuck jumps (8 min). **: p < 0.01 from baseline; #: p < 0.01 from post 5 min run.