Influence of recovery time following different volumes of a dynamic warm-up on human performance in recreationally active males

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study:

The purpose of the present study was to extend upon findings in the literature, examine the acute effects of different volumes of a dynamic warm-up on human performance, and to examine the influence of recovery time following a dynamic warm up on human performance. A convenience sample of 28 recreationally active males [(mean � SD) age, 21.3 � 1.4 years; height, 178.0 � 6.3 cm; weight, 80.9 � 10.7 kg] completed counterbalanced, within-subjects, repeated measures design (CON x WU1 x WU2). Each subject performed three randomly ordered conditions: a) control (CON), b) a dynamic warm-up routine (WU1), and c) a dynamic warm-up routine with twice the volume of WU1 (WU2). The WU1 condition was performed for 3 minutes � 13 seconds and the WU2 condition was performed for 5 min 51 sec � 31 seconds. A 4 x 3 repeated measures ANOVA (time x condition) was used to analyze each of the following dependent variables: VJ height, peak power output, average power output, hip flexor flexibility, hamstring flexibility, and balance [number of ground contacts and total time balanced]. When appropriate, follow-up analyses included one-way repeated measures ANOVA with bonferroni corrected paired-samples t-tests. SPSS software (version 17.0, Chicago, IL) was used for all statistical comparisons. An alpha level will be set at P<0.05 to determine any statistical significance.

Findings and Conclusions:

The results of the present study extend upon previous findings in which dynamic warm up routines have improved vertical jump, power, and flexibility. The results suggest that approximately 3 minutes and 6 minutes of a dynamic warm-up following a five minute light aerobic jog may increase VJ height, lower body power (peak & average power), and hamstring flexibility, while having a minimal effect on balance and no effect on hip flexor flexibility. Furthermore, there is no difference between 3 and 6 minutes of a dynamic warm up routine, thus only 3 minutes is needed to improve human performance.