Abstract
There has been limited research to explore the use of body tempering and when the use of this modality would be most appropriate. This study aimed to determine if a body tempering intervention would be appropriate pre-exercise by examining its effects on perceived soreness, range of motion (ROM), and force production compared to an intervention of traditional stretching. The subjects for this study were ten Division 1 (D1) football linemen from Sacred Heart University (Age: 19.9 ± 1.5 years, body mass: 130.9 ± 12.0 kg, height: 188.4 ± 5.1 cm, training age: 8.0 ± 3.5 years). Subjects participated in three sessions with the first session being baseline testing. The second and third sessions involved the participants being randomized to receive either the body tempering or stretching intervention for the second session and then receiving the other intervention the final week. Soreness using a visual analog scale (VAS), ROM, counter movement jump (CMJ) peak force and jump height, static jump (SJ) peak force and jump height, and isometric mid-thigh pull max force production were assessed. The results of the study concluded that body tempering does not have a negative effect on muscle performance but did practically reduce perceived muscle soreness. Since body tempering is effective at reducing soreness in athletes, it can be recommended for athletes as part of their pre-exercise warmup without negatively effecting isometric or dynamic force production.
Highlights
Coaches and athletes are consistently exploring new methods to improve performance and reduce injury risk during training and competition
The results of this study demonstrated that tempering can be an effective way to reduce soreness in strength and power athletes
Since athletes may report a reduction in soreness, allowing for improved performance during training or competition, body tempering can be used before training or competition to prepare athletes for the task at hand
Summary
Coaches and athletes are consistently exploring new methods to improve performance and reduce injury risk during training and competition. Some methods positively affect a single performance or recovery outcome, human performance practitioners often seek a modality that can positively affect various outcomes across a performance and recovery spectrum (i.e., joint range of motion (ROM), muscle soreness, strength, power). Static stretching may cause acute proprioceptive neuromuscular changes that permit a greater ROM [1] but may reduce athletic performances requiring maximal force production or power output (i.e., vertical jumps) [2,3]. For these reasons, additional methods have been sought to simultaneously improve ROM and reduce pain, without impacting subsequent strength or power performances
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