Dynamic warm-up protocols, with and without a weighted vest, and fitness performance in high school female athletes.

CONTEXT

Recent authors have not found substantial evidence to support the use of static stretching for improving performance, so interest in dynamic warm-up procedures has risen. Our findings may improve the understanding of the acute effects of different types of pre-exercise protocols on performance and may help clinicians develop effective warm-up protocols for sports practice and competition.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the acute effects of 4 warm-up protocols with and without a weighted vest on anaerobic performance in female high school athletes.

DESIGN

Randomized, counterbalanced, repeated-measures design.

SETTING

High school fitness center.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

Eighteen healthy high school female athletes (age = 15.3 +/- 1.2 years, height = 166.3 +/- 9.1 cm, mass = 61.6 +/- 10.4 kg).

INTERVENTION(S): After 5 minutes of jogging, subjects performed 4 randomly ordered warm-up protocols: (1) Five static stretches (2 x 30 seconds) (SS), (2) nine moderate-intensity to high-intensity dynamic exercises (DY), (3) the same 9 dynamic exercises performed with a vest weighted with 2% of body mass (DY2), and (4) the same 9 dynamic exercises performed with a vest weighted with 6% of body mass (DY6).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Vertical jump, long jump, seated medicine ball toss, and 10-yard sprint.

RESULTS

Vertical jump performance was significantly greater after DY (41.3 +/- 5.4 cm) and DY2 (42.1 +/- 5.2 cm) compared with SS (37.1 +/- 5.1 cm), and long jump performance was significantly greater after DY2 (180.5 +/- 20.3 cm) compared with SS (160.4 +/- 20.8 cm) ( P </= .05). No significant differences between trials were observed for the seated medicine ball toss or 10-yard sprint.

CONCLUSIONS

A dynamic warm-up performed with a vest weighted with 2% of body mass may be the most effective warm-up protocol for enhancing jumping performance in high school female athletes.