Abstract
The use of percussive massage (PM) and loaded cycling (LC) are popular as pre-exercise preparation. There is a paucity of research regarding the influence of PM on anaerobic power, despite anecdotal evidence. Purportedly PM may increase local blood flow, attenuate inflammation, reduce muscle tension, and increase range of motion. PURPOSE: The purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of using PM as a pre-exercise method compared to LC, as well as a combination of both methods (PM+LC). METHODS: A double-blind, repeated measures, cross-over design study with statistical analysis by ANOVA (p<0.05) was conducted on twenty-eight (age 21.0±2.2 yr, ht. 176.7±11.4 cm, body mass 79.7±18.9 kg) healthy, asymptomatic, physically active individuals. A minimum of two familiarization trials preceded three experimental trials of Wingate Anaerobic Power Testing (WAPT) on an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer to determine mean power (MP), peak power (PP) and fatigue index (FI). Lactate was measured three minutes post WAPT. PM consisted of three minutes of percussive massage to the gastrocnemius, hamstrings and quadriceps, with bilateral application of 30 seconds per muscle group, followed by ten second unloaded pedaling prior to the WAPT. LC consisted of three minutes of cycling at 50 watts while maintaining 50 rpm. A ten second countdown was given leading into the WAPT. PM+LC consisted of a combination of both previous procedures with PC preceding LC. RESULTS: No significant difference exist between experimental trials in terms of PP: PM 1000.4±336.1, LC 1001.1±329.4, PM+LC 999.7±342.1 watts; MP: PM 676.2±192.2, LC 674.3±189.0, PM+LC 674.3±202.4 watts; FI: PM54.5±14.6, LC 54.6±14.2, PM+LC 53.7±14.1 %; and LA: PM 14.5±3.0, LC 13.0±3.3, PM+LC 12.4±3.5 mmol/L. CONCLUSION: Percussive massage elicited virtually an identical impact on WAPT performance among all parameters as either loaded cycling or both percussive massage and loaded cycling, and thus should be considered a viable alternative to traditional pre-exercise warm-up methods.
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