Effects of Functional Exercises in the Warm-up on Sprint Performances

Abstract

The process of warming up prepares athletes for subsequent stress and increases their level of performance. Functional exercises are often included in warm-up programs for power sports, although a positive effect of functional exercises has not been confirmed. The aim of this study was to measure a possible effect of functional exercises on sprint performance included in a warm-up program. A total of 121 elite youth soccer players between 13 and 18 years of age participated in this study and performed 2 different warm-up programs. The first program (NWP) consisted of 5 minutes of nonspecific running, coordination exercises, stretching, and acceleration runs. The second program (WPS) was the same with additional functional exercises. The subjects were tested performing linear sprints of approximately 30 m and change-of-direction sprints of approximately 10 m. The t-test for dependent samples showed significant differences between the groups for each segment of the linear sprint (p < 0.01 for 5 m; p < 0.001 for 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 m); however, the effect sizes are small. Also, in the change-of-direction sprint, the t-test showed significant differences between the groups (p < 0.01 for 10 m left, 10 m right; p < 0.001 for 5 m right). These effect sizes are also small. In the change-of-direction sprint time for 5 m left, the data showed no significant differences between the groups. The results show no effects of functional exercises on sprint performance that are implemented in addition to a general warm-up. It appears that a general warm-up program, such as the NWP, generates sufficient activation of the performance-limiting muscles for sprint performance. Functional exercises did not lead to a supplemental activation with a positive effect on sprint performance. Therefore, a warm-up for sprint performance should contain nonspecific running, coordination exercises, stretching exercises, and acceleration runs. These components lead to sufficient activation of the muscles involved in sprint performance. Coaches should use the limited time available for warm-up to work efficiently. The recommendation for warm-up is to pass on functional exercises that have no additional effect in enhancing performance.

Effectiveness of Injury Prevention Programs on Developing Quadriceps and Hamstrings Strength of Young Male Professional Soccer Players

“…The general mechanisms that may have caused quadriceps’ net peak torque to improve in this study were an increase in body temperature, increasing the blood flow to the muscles, elasticity of the muscles and neuron activity (Sander et al, 2013) which is defined as an increase in muscle efficiency to produce force after a warm-up program (Sale, 2002), and possibly an increased rate of cross-bridge formation (Yamaguchi and Ishii, 2005). The 11+ and HarmoKnee programs are multifaceted and focus on core stability, balance, and neuromuscular control for soccer-specific skills that promote proper motion patterns (Kiani et al, 2010; Soligard et al, 2008).…”

Acute Effects of Three Neuromuscular Warm-Up Strategies on Several Physical Performance Measures in Football Players

“…Seven of the dynamic warm-up routines were extracted from the studies selected in the meta-analysis carried out by Bizzini et al [15] in the context of the acute effects of dynamic warm-ups [18–21, 24, 27, 28]. The other three warm-up routines were selected because they reflect the warm-up structure and content that, according to our experience, might be the most widely used in football and which contain the following components chronologically ordered: a) some active aerobic activities (including running, light calisthenics); b) dynamic stretching exercises of the major muscle groups; and c) football-specific movements incorporating a various range of motion exercises with skill-based drills executed at, or just below game intensity [22, 29, 30].…”

Who runs the fastest? Anthropometric and physiological correlates of 20 m sprint performance in male soccer players

“…0-10 m and 10-20 m) (De Hoyo et al, 2015;Franco-Marque et al, 2015). Sprint ability is highly correlated to jumping performance (Faude, Roth, Giovine, Zahner, & Donath, 2013;Köklü et al, 2015), the running distance (Dellal & Wong, 2013), and quadriceps and upper body strength (Hrysomallis, Kosk, McCoy, Wrigley, & Club, 2013;Sander, Keiner, Schlumberger, Wirth, & Schmidtbleicher, 2013). In addition, sprint ability is influenced by the players' age (i.e., better performances in young players), the anthropometric characteristics (i.e., height and weight), the competitive level and the experience (i.e., highly skilled and experienced players presented better performances) (Dellal & Wong, 2013;Lago-Peñas et al, 2011). However, the abovementioned studies did not reach a consensus with regards to the direction of these correlations.…”