The Effects of Short-Duration Ischemic Preconditioning on Horizontal and Vertical Jump Performance in Male and Female Track and Field Jumpers

Abstract

Background: Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a non-invasive, time-efficient strategy that has been shown to acutely enhance athletic performance. The present study examined the effects of 5 min of IPC on vertical and horizontal jump performance. A secondary aim was to explore the associations between outcomes of the 5-Hop (5-H) test and drop jump performance, in order to provide further evidence supporting the validity of the 5-H test for assessing reactive strength characteristics in trained jumpers. Methods: Twelve trained track and field jumpers (nine males, three females, age: 23.2 ± 2.9 years; height: 1.76 ± 0.07 m; body mass: 71.5 ± 8.0 kg) completed two conditions: an IPC condition applied to one leg and a control condition applied to the contralateral leg. In the first week, one leg was assigned to IPC and the other to the control condition, while in the second week, the conditions for each leg were reversed. Vertical single-leg performance was evaluated by drop jump (DJ) height, ground contact time, and reactive strength index (RSI). Horizontal jump performance was assessed by a five-hop (5-H) test during which total distance (TD), total time (TT), and reactive hopping index (RHI) were obtained. Results: Compared to the control condition, IPC enhanced DJ height (+ 3.6%) and RSI (+ 7.8%) (p < 0.05, g = 0.16 and 0.32, respectively) and reduced contact time (-4.4% p < 0.05, g = 0.41). Also, IPC resulted in significant improvements in TD (+ 4.1%) and RHI (+ 3.9%) during the 5-H test (p < 0.05, g = 0.32 and 0.42, respectively), while TT remained unchanged. Conclusions: A single cycle of IPC acutely improved vertical and horizontal jump performance and reactive strength indices in trained jumpers. These findings support the use of IPC as a practical, time-efficient method to enhance neuromuscular performance in explosive tasks.

Keywords: blood flow; drop jump; hopping; long jump; triple jump.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of the experimental protocol. IPC: Ischemic preconditioning; DJ: drop jump.

Figure 2

Total distance covered during the five-hop test (5-H) test across conditions (Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) vs. Control (CTRL)) and legs (Dominant vs. Non-Dominant, DOM vs. Non-DOM). *: p < 0.001 from CTRL.

Figure 3

Reactive hopping index (RHI) across conditions (Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) vs. Control (CTRL)) and legs (Dominant vs. Non-Dominant, DOM vs. Non-DOM). *: p < 0.001 different from the control conditions regardless of leg. *: p < 0.001 from CTRL.

Figure 4

Total time during the 5-H test across conditions (Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) vs. Control (CTRL)) and legs (Dominant vs. Non-Dominant, DOM vs. Non-DOM).

Figure 5

Reactive strength index (RSI) across conditions (Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) vs. Control (CTRL)) and legs (Dominant vs. Non-Dominant, DOM vs. Non-DOM). *: p < 0.001 different from the control conditions regardless of leg.

Figure 6

Jump height across conditions (Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) vs. Control (CTRL)) and legs (Dominant vs. Non-Dominant, DOM vs. Non-DOM). *: p = 0.01 different from the control conditions regardless of leg.

Figure 7

Contact time during the drop jump (DJ) test across conditions (Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) vs. Control-CTRL) and legs (Dominant vs. Non-Dominant, DOM vs. Non-DOM). *: p = 0.01 significantly different from the control condition, regardless of leg.