Abstract
BackgroundThe fact that kinesio tape may be capable to enhance muscle power would qualify it as practical tool to be considered during passive warm-up (WU) or coupled with active WU processes prior to power-based performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the single and combined effect of kinesio tape (KT) and WU on sprint cycling performance.MethodsIn a repeated measure design, fifteen participants underwent six sessions to assess sprint cycling performance involving a combination of three taping conditions (without KT: NoKT; with KT positioned vertically over the thigh muscles KT; with KT positioned horizontally over the thigh muscles: Sham) with two pre-exercise routines (with WU: WU; without WU: NoWU) in a randomized order. Allometric scaling of peak power (PP) and average power (AP) values were considered for each sprint.ResultsKT-WU demonstrated the highest PP and AP with respect to the other conditions (p < 0.05), except for AP that was similar to Sham-WU (p > 0.05). Moreover, NoKT-NoWU showed the lowest PP and AP with respect to the other conditions (p < 0.05).ConclusionsOverall, our findings suggest that kinesio tape might be a possible tool to be combined with an active WU routine, inducing benefit on sprint performance. Moreover, KT may be considered a potential strategy to include within a passive WU, perhaps where an active WU is not feasible. However, as the influence of KT on muscle function is still unclear, our results should not be overinterpreted.
Highlights
Warm-up (WU) represents one of the most employed pre-exercise routines anticipating a physical activity, both in health-related and competitive sporting environments [1, 2]
NoKTNoWU showed the lowest peak power (PP) and average power (AP) values with respect to the other conditions
Regarding Without kinesio taping (NoKT)-WU, PP was higher than NoKT-without warm-up (NoWU) (p < 0.05) with a moderate effect size, whereas AP was higher than NoKTNoWU (p < 0.05) with a small effect size
Summary
Warm-up (WU) represents one of the most employed pre-exercise routines anticipating a physical activity, both in health-related and competitive sporting environments [1, 2]. Passive modality exploits external sources to apply heat on the body tissues. Avelar et al [3] compared the effects of passive (using a thermal blanket applied on participants’ thighs and legs) and active warm-up (induced by whole-body vibration added to squat exercises) modalities on sprint cycle exercise. Gogte et al [4] observed the same effectiveness on vertical jump and dynamic balance between active (cycling, leg press, and jump exercises), passive (moist heating applied on lower limbs), and combined warm-up strategies. The fact that kinesio tape may be capable to enhance muscle power would qualify it as practical tool to be considered during passive warm-up (WU) or coupled with active WU processes prior to power-based performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the single and combined effect of kinesio tape (KT) and WU on sprint cycling performance
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