A Comparison of the Effects of Two Warm- Up Protocols on Strength and Power in College- Aged Females

The following study compared the effects of acute static stretching (SS) and whole body vibration (WBV) protocols on strength and power in college-aged recreationally active females. Ten active, Arizona State University females participated in the study after providing informed consent and filling out a survey to determine their health status and physical activity level. Participants took part in the study over two days, each day starting with a standardized cycling protocol, followed by random assignment to either a static stretching or whole body vibration warm-up condition. Whichever protocol they did not complete during the first session, they completed during the second session. After the warm-up protocol, vertical hang time and vertical jump were used to test leg power, and 1- RM bench press, and 1- RM leg press were used to evaluate the participants’ upper and lower body strength, respectively. Multiple t-tests were conducted for each sports performance test conducted: vertical hang time, vertical jump, bench press, and leg press. Strength and power, as assessed in this sample, were not significantly different based on warm-up protocol. T-tests comparing the effects of two warm-up techniques revealed that there were no significant differences in the leg power scores for vertical hang time (p ≤0.86) (effect size = 0), or vertical jump height (p =1) (effect size = 0). Similarly, there were no significant differences in bench press (p ≤0.08) (effect size = 0.38), and leg press (p ≤0.29) (effect size = 0.31), although effect sizes were moderate. Because of the medium effect sizes for leg press (0.31) and bench press (0.38), it is possible that WBV can facilitate greater strength gains in female college students, but more subjects are needed to further evaluate this finding. Given that leg power was not different based on warm-up technique, it is possible that static stretching for less than 30 seconds did not impede power in these active females. Clearly, more research needs to be performed on the effectiveness of the vibration platform comparing additional bouts of duration and frequency in active and athletic college-aged females.