Assessment of Sprint Performance Following the Use of Resistance Training Masks During Dynamic Warm-Up

Abstract

A proposed method of increasing warm-up intensity without inducing muscular fatigue is using a respiratory training mask to provide breathing resistance. Despite the lack of research-based evidence and equivocal anecdotal evidence, this particular warm-up strategy does appear to be of increasing popularity among both athletes and active individuals. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate sprint performance following the use of training masks during dynamic warm-up in Division I American football athletes. METHODS: Seventeen male (mean±SD: age = 17.94±.75 years, weight = 104.43±23.02 kg, height 184.93±7.06 cm) NCAA Divison I, American football athletes from a Midwestern university were recruited to participate in this study. Athletes were informed of risks, and completed 3 testing sessions separated by 7 days each. All testing sessions took place at the same time of day on artificial turf in the university’s indoor training facility. Testing sessions began with a warm-up (WU) under the instruction of a member of the university’s Strength and Conditioning staff. The WU consisted of dynamic exercises targeting the lower body musculature. During the initial visit, participants completed the dynamic WU and tested on 5x10-meter sprints without a respiratory training mask and all data collected during the initial visit were used to establish baseline measurements. During the second and third visits, participants were randomly selected to complete the WU with the respiratory training mask set to simulate an altitude 3,657.6 (EXP) m or 914.4 m (SHAM). Upon completion of the WU, participants removed the mask and performed 5 × 10-meter sprints. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) design was used to assess differences between control and experimental results. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 21.0 for Windows; SPSS, Chicago, Illinois) with statistical significance set a p < .05. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between control, sham, and experimental measures (P = 0.7-0.874). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the use of respiratory training masks during WU does not improve sprint times in Division I football athletes.