Influence of Whole Body Vibration and Specific Warm-ups on Force during an Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of general and specific warm-up protocols on rate of force development (RFD), relative RFD (rRFD), ground reaction force (GRF) and relative ground reaction force (rGRF) during an isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), after WBV exposure. Methods: Fifteen healthy recreationally trained males (age: 24.1 ± 2.3 yrs, height: 72.9 ± 7.8 cm; mass: 86.9 ± 8.3) completed five protocols: baseline, isometric vibration (iVib), isometric no vibration (iNV), dynamic vibration (dVib) and dynamic no vibration (dNV). The baseline was completed without any warm-up prior to the IMTP. The intervention protocols had the same prescription of 4 sets of 30-second bouts of quarter squats (dynamic [DQS] and isometric [IQS]) on the WBV platform with or without vibration. Following a one-minute rest period after each protocol, participants completed three maximal IMTPs. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA with a Bonferroni post hoc demonstrated that RFD in dNV (7657.8 ± 2292.5 N/s) was significantly greater than iVib (7156.4 ± 2170.0 N/s). However, the other experimental trials for RFD demonstrated no significant differences (p>0.05). There were also no significant differences for rRFD, GRF or rGRF between protocols. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that a dynamic warm-up without WBV elicits greater RFD than an isometric warm-up with WBV prior to a maximal isometric exercise. Further research needs to be investigated utilizing dynamic and isometric warm-ups in conjunction with WBV and power output. Keywords: males, recreationally trained, power