Morning Priming Exercise Strategy to Enhance Afternoon Performance in Young Elite Soccer Players

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the effects of different modalities of morning priming exercise on afternoon physical performance with the associated hormonal and psychophysiological responses in young soccer players. Methods: In a randomized counterbalanced crossover design, 12 young soccer players completed 3 different morning conditions on 3 different days: repeated-sprint running (6 × 40 m), easy exercise (4 × 12 fast half squats, 6 speed ladder drills, and 20-m sprints), and control (no exercise). Blood testosterone and cortisol concentrations were assessed upon arrival (approximately 8:30AM) and approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes later. Body temperature, self-reported mood, quadriceps neuromuscular function (maximal voluntary contraction, voluntary activation, rate of torque development, and twitch contractile properties), jump, and sprint performance were evaluated twice per day, while rating of perceived exertion, motivation, and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 2 (IR2) tests were assessed once per day. Results: Compared with the control, repeated-sprint running induced a possible positive effect on testosterone (+11.6%) but a possible to very likely negative effect on twitch contractile properties (−13.0%), jump height (−1.4%), and Yo-Yo IR2 (−7.1%). On the other hand, easy exercise had an unclear effect on testosterone (−3.3%), resulted in lower self-reported fatigue (−31.0%) and cortisol (−12.9%), and had a possible positive effect on the rate of torque development (+4.3%) and Yo-Yo IR2 (+6.5%) compared with the control. Conclusions: Players’ testosterone levels were positively influenced by repeated-sprint running, but this did not translate into better physical function, as both muscular and endurance performance were reduced. Easy exercise seemed to be suitable to optimize the physical performance and psychophysiological state of young soccer players.

Comparison between Dry-Land and Swimming Priming on 50 m Crawl Performance in Well-Trained Adolescent Swimmers

“…Priming training sessions are short in duration (approximately 30 min) and may focus on the enhancement of strength, speed, and/or specific motor skills of various sports, such as ball dribble in soccer and free shots in basketball [2]. Indeed, studies have shown that a priming training session 5-6 h before competition may enhance performance in team-sport athletes mainly by maintaining the testosterone levels in the afternoon competition [3][4][5], as well as by enhancing neuromuscular activation and the rate of force development (RFD) for the upcoming event [6,7]. Increased core temperature has also been proposed as an important factor for an elevated performance by increasing the metabolic rate during the afternoon performance task [8,9], while priming, similar to post activation performance enhancement (PAPE), may increase the muscle fiber sensitivity to calcium ions (Ca 2+ ), leading to an increased muscle contraction activation and subsequently an increased performance [10,11].…”

Revisiting the ‘Whys’ and ‘Hows’ of the Warm-Up: Are We Asking the Right Questions?

“…There has been a call for warm-up protocols to be designed to benefit the potentiation of subsequent performance (e.g., PAP and PAPE) [ 13 , 17 , 25 , 45 ]. A separate concept would be ‘priming’ [ 46 – 48 ] (e.g., practice in the morning to boost performance later in that day), but this departs from the concept of warm-up. The broader term ‘warm-up’ may be considered an umbrella term, while terms such as PAP and PAPE have narrower meanings.…”

Debunking the myth of morning skate on game day

“…Considering that priming strategies may have an enhanced effect with sport-specific movements, without excluding possible muscle damage and residual fatigue (high individual variation) in a condensed schedule, the current recommendations suggest implementing a priming session in the morning of a game day-notably for its diurnal effect (i.e., change in testosterone and cortisol concentrations) on player readiness (28)-or the day before, 24-33 h prior to the game (4,29). Several successful priming interventions have been reported in team sports [e.g., in rugby union (28,30,31), rugby sevens (32), soccer (33) and volleyball (34)] but with different response kinetics due to the multiple exercise modes and priming protocols employed. Regarding ice hockey, apart a 4-min postactivation potentiation effect following on-ice heavy resisted skating sprint (35) and a 6-h delayed potentiation resulting from an off-ice contrast training (36), specific on-ice and/or off-ice priming interventions have not yet been scientifically explored.…”