Complementing Warm-up with Stretching Routines: Effects in Sprint Performance

Abstact

The present study aimed to examine the effects of using static or dynamic stretching added to the common warm-up routine for short sprint distances and to repeated sprint performance. In 3 different sessions, 16 college-age men (n=10) and women (n=6) performed one of 3 warm-ups followed by a 2×60 m dash sprint time trial (5 min of rest) in a counterbalanced design. The control warm-up consisted of 10 min of light-intensity running, and the 2 experimental warm-ups included a static or dynamic stretching routine (5 exercises) in the control warm-up. Performance (time) and physiological variables (tympanic temperature, heart rate) were monitored. In the first 60 m time trial, there were no differences between the 3 warm-ups tested (F=0.21, p=0.73; η_p ²=0.01), as opposed to that observed in the second (F=7.04, p<0.01; η_p ²=0.32). The participants were 1.7% faster after the static stretching warm-up compared with the control warm-up. The sum of the time performed in the 2 sprints emphasizes these results, with better performances after the static stretching warm-up than the control (1%) or dynamic stretching warm-up (0.7%). These results suggest that including a set of static or dynamic stretching exercises may enhance sprinting performance. The better performance in the second trial after the warm-up including static stretching suggests that this type of stretching may positively influence repeated sprint performance (<10 s sprint).

Key words

pre-exercise - repeated-sprint - evaluation - velocity - heart rate - tympanic temperature

• References

• 1 Achten J, Jeukendrup AE. Heart rate monitoring: Applications and limitations. Sports Med 2003; 33: 517-538
• 2 Beckett JR, Schneiker KT, Wallman KE, Dawson BT, Guelfi KJ. Effects of static stretching on repeated sprint and change of direction performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 41: 444-450
• 3 Behm DG, Chaouachi A. A review of the acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2011; 111: 2633-2651
• 4 Cohen J. A power primer. Psychol Bull 1992; 112: 155-159
• 5 Gastin PB. Energy system interaction and relative contribution during maximal exercise. Sports Med 2001; 31: 725-741
• 6 Gelen E. Acute effects of different warm-up methods on sprint, slalom dribbling, and penalty kick performance in soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 2010; 24: 950-956
• 7 Gray SR, De Vito G, Nimmo MA, Farina D, Ferguson RA. Skeletal muscle ATP turnover and muscle fiber conduction velocity are elevated at higher muscle temperatures during maximal power output development in humans. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2006; 290: R376-R382
• 8 Harriss DJ, Atkinson G. Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research: 2016 update. Int J Sports Med 2015; 36: 1121-1124
• 9 Jeukendrup A, Van Diemen A. Heart rate monitoring during training and competition in cyclists. J Sports Sci 1998; 16: 1-9
• 10 Kay AD, Blazevich AJ. Effect of acute static stretch on maximal muscle performance: A systematic review. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012; 44: 154-164
• 11 Kistler BM, Walsh MS, Horn TS, Cox RH. The acute effects of static stretching on the sprint performance of collegiate men in the 60-and 100-m dash after a dynamic warm-up. J Strength Cond Res 2010; 24: 2280-2284
• 12 Lakens D. Calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative sciences: a pratical primer for t-tests and ANOVAs. Front Psychol 2013; 4: 863
• 13 Little T, Williams AG. Effects of differential stretching protocols during warm-ups on high-speed motor capacities in professional soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 2006; 20: 203-307
• 14 Magnusson P, Renström P. The European College of Sports Sciences Position statement: The role of stretching exercises in sports. Eur J Sport Sci 2006; 6: 87-91
• 15 McGowan CJ, Pyne DB, Thompson KG, Rattray B. Warm-up strategies for sport and exercise: Mechanisms and applications. Sports Med 2015; 45: 1523-1546
• 16 McHugh MP, Cosgrave CH. To stretch or not to stretch: The role of stretching in injury prevention and performance. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010; 20: 169-181
• 17 Mizuno T, Matsumoto M, Umemura Y. Viscoelasticity of the muscle–tendon unit is returned more rapidly than range of motion after stretching. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2013; 23: 23-30
• 18 Mizuno T, Matsumoto M, Umemura Y. Stretching-induced deficit of maximal isometric torque is restored within 10 minutes. J Strength Cond Res 2014; 28: 147-153
• 19 Morse CI, Degens H, Seynnes OR, Maganaris CN, Jones DA. The acute effect of stretching on the passive stiffness of the human gastrocnemius muscle tendon unit. J Physiol 2008; 586: 97-106
• 20 Needham RA, Morse CI, Degens H. The acute effect of different warm-up protocols on anaerobic performance in elite youth soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 2009; 23: 2614-2620
• 21 Neiva HP, Marques MC, Barbosa TM, Izquierdo M, Marinho DA. Warm-up and performance in competitive swimming. Sports Med 2014; 44: 319-330
• 22 Neiva HP, Marques MC, Barbosa TM, Izquierdo M, Viana JL, Marinho DA. Effects of 10 min vs. 20 min passive rest after warm-up on 100 m freestyle time-trial performance: A randomized crossover study. J Sci Med Sport 2017; 20: 81-86
• 23 Neiva HP, Marques MC, Barbosa TM, Izquierdo M, Viana JL, Teixeira AM, Marinho DA. Warm-up for sprint swimming: Race-pace or aerobic stimulation? A randomized study. J Strength Cond Res 2016; [epub ahead of print]
• 24 Ribeiro YS, Del Vecchio FB. Meta-analysis of the acute effects of stretching on high intensity sprint performance. Rev Bras Educ Fis Esporte 2011; 25: 567-581
• 25 Rosenbaum D, Hennig EM. The influence of stretching and warm-up exercises on Achilles tendon reflex activity. J Sports Sci 1995; 13: 481-490
• 26 Saez Saez De Villarreal E, González-Badillo JJ, Izquierdo M. Optimal warm-up stimuli of muscle activation to enhance short and long-term acute jumping performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2007; 100: 393-401
• 27 Turki O, Chaouachi A, Behm DG, Chtara H, Chtara M, Bishop D, Chamari K, Amri M. The effect of warm-ups incorporating different volumes of dynamic stretching on 10-and 20- m sprint performance in highly trained male athletes. J Strength Cond Res 2012; 26: 63-72
• 28 Winchester JB, Nelson AG, Landin D, Young MA, Schexnayder IC. Static stretching impairs sprint performance in collegiate track and field athletes. J Strength Cond Res 2008; 22: 13-19
• 29 Witvrouw E, Mahieu N, Danneels L, McNair P. Stretching and injury prevention. Sports Med 2004; 34: 443-449
• 30 Yaicharoen P, Wallman K, Morton A, Bishop D. The effect of warm-up on intermittent sprint performance and selected thermoregulatory parameters. J Sci Med Sport 2012; 15: 451-456
• 31 Young WB, Behm DG. Effects of running, static stretching and practice jumps on explosive force production and jumping performance. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2003; 43: 21-27
• 32 Young W, Elias G, Power J. Effects of static stretching volume and intensity on plantar flexor explosive force production and range of motion. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2006; 46: 403-411