FOUR-WEEK DYNAMIC STRETCHING WARM-UP INTERVENTION ELICITS LONGER-TERM PERFORMANCE BENEFITS

Herman, SL and Smith, DT. Four-week dynamic stretching warm-up intervention elicits longer term performance benefits. J Strength Cond Res 22: 1286-1297, 2008-The purpose of this study was to determine whether a dynamic-stretching warm-up (DWU) intervention performed daily over 4 weeks positively influenced power, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility, and strength performance measures in collegiate wrestlers when compared to a static-stretching warm-up (SWU) intervention. Twenty-four male National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I wrestlers were randomly assigned to complete either a 4-week treatment condition (DWU) (n = 11) or an active control condition (SWU) (n = 13) prior to their daily preseason practices. Anthropometric and performance measures were conducted before and after the 4-week experimental period (i.e., DWU or SWU). Measures included peak torque of the quadriceps and hamstrings, medicine ball underhand throw, 300-yd shuttle, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, broad jump, 600-m run, sit-and-reach test, and trunk extension test. Wrestlers completing the 4-week DWU intervention had several performance improvements, including increases in quadriceps peak torque (11%), broad jump (4%), underhand medicine ball throw (4%), sit-ups (11%), and push-ups (3%). A decrease in the average time to completion of the 300-yd shuttle (-2%) and the 600-m run (-2.4%) was suggestive of enhanced muscular strength, endurance, agility, and anaerobic capacity in the DWU group. In contrast to the DWU intervention, there was no observed improvement in the SWU group for peak torque of the quadriceps, broad jump, 300-yd shuttle run, medicine ball underhand throw for distance, sit-ups, push-ups, or 600-m run, and decrements in some performance measures occurred. The findings suggest that incorporation of this specific 4-week DWU intervention into the daily preseason training regimen of wrestlers produced longer-term or sustained power, strength, muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, and agility performance enhancements.