The Effect of Warm-Up Intensity on Range of Motion and Anaerobic Performance

Abstract

w ith the intention of improving performance and reducing the incidence of injuries, athletes commonly warm up prior to activity. A warm-up generally consists of a period of both submaximal exercise and stretching exercises. The influence of warm-up on subsequent a e r e bic exercise performance has been investigated since the 1930s (43). Warm-up has been associated with acute increases in peripheral and central circulation and elevated core and muscle temperature (12,18,25,37, 43). While the physiological adjustments associated with warm-up before aerobic performance may also benefit anaerobic performance, results from research evaluating warm-up and its effect on more intense exercise performance have been inconclusive.Inbar and Bar-Or (28) compared a Isminute intermittent treadmill warm-up at 60% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO,,,,) with no warm-up and found performance in both aerobic and anaerobic criterion tasks was significantly improved when preceded by warm-up (6% increase in aerobic and 7% increase in anaerobic performance). Contrary to this, warm-up has also been shown to be detrimental to anaerobic performance with warm-up durations of at least 8 minutes and intensities of 70% maximum heart rate or 88% VO,,,,(25,26). Studies investigating the effect of different intensity warmups on performance in the same sub- VO, , , , (12.21). These researchers found that the higher intensity warm-up significantly decreawd performance by 9% (21) and 16% (12) when compared with no warm-up, and that the lower intensity warm-up had no significant effect on performance (increased by 0.5% and 0.4%. respectively). The type, intensity, and duration of the warm-ups have varied between the studies, as has the performance criterion; therefore, the inconsistent effect of warm-up on performance may be attributed to the different protocols used by the various investigators. Not since Inbar and Bar-Or (28) have investigators found evidence that warm-up increases performance in predominantly anaerobic activities. Why then is warm-up still a generally accepted practice among athletes before strenuous exercise?Almost half of all injuries are muscle strains and tears and their frequency and disabling potential have been documented in epidemie logical studies of many sports: football (7,35), rugby (14), and track and field (5). Unfortunately, strains have a high incidence of recurrence and can be a frequent source of pain and impaired performance following the athlete's return to competition, especially in sports requiring power and speed (20). The increased range of motion (ROM) and the reduced stiffness resulting from the increase in muscle temperature have been attrib-

An Acute Bout of Static Stretching: Effects on Force and Jumping Performance

“…Corresponding with additional research (134), it was suggested that a more compliant SEC increased the ability to store and release elastic energy during the rebound bench press lift. The perception of a positive correlation between force output and SEC compliance is further supported by Walshe and Wilson (126). They compared MTU…”

The Effect of Static Stretch and Warm-up Exercise on Hamstring Length Over the Course of 24 Hours

“…Similar studies comparing a combination of static stretch with warm-up exercises or heat modalities with static stretch alone also failed to statistically support the hypothesis that warming of the muscle prior to stretching increases the effectiveness of stretching to improve muscle extensibility. 6,7,15,18,21,22 It is possible that a warm-up exercise may not produce the needed increase in intramuscular temperature to affect the elastic components of muscle or that the blood flow in the muscle is dissipated so rapidly that any increase in muscle temperature would be minimal, as would any change in muscle extensibility.…”

“…6,15,21,22 Gillette et al 6 reported that 20 minutes of running alone or 20 minutes of running combined with passive stretch had no significant effect on knee ROM when compared to passive stretch alone. In this study, the 20 minutes of exercise were performed at 86% of maximum heart rate (max HR), which is generally not practical as a therapeutic regime.…”

“…9,19 Warm-up exercises are reported to increase intramuscular and core temperatures. 6,15 Stewart and Sleivert 15 demonstrated that skin temperature increases rapidly within 5 to 10 minutes after warm-up exercises. Consequently, it has been assumed that, because warm-up exercises increase skin and body temperature and therefore may increase musculotendinous extensibility, warm-up activities would enhance the effect of muscle stretching.…”

Dynamic stretching is effective as static stretching at increasing flexibility

“…While the topic of flexibility and sports performance has been thoroughly debated (Craib et Shrier, 1999), an optimal ROM for fitness and sports performance has yet to be established. Reasons for improving flexibility in a sports context include decreasing injury (Dodebo, White, & George, 2004;Safran, Garrett, & Seaber, 1988) and increasing performance (Stewart & Sleivert, 1998). Specifically, it has been suggested that the increased muscle-tendon compliance associated with flexibility training may increase elasticity (Nelson & Kokkonen, 2007) and cause an increased force of contraction (Shrier, 1999).…”