Abstract
The purpose of this narrative review is to examine the efficacy of flywheel inertia training to increase hamstring strength. Hamstring strain injury is common in many sports, and baseline strength deficits have been associated with a higher risk of hamstring strain injury. As a result, strength and conditioning professionals actively seek additional techniques to improve hamstring strength with the aim of minimising the incidence of hamstring strain injury. One method of strength training gaining popularity in hamstring strength development is flywheel inertia training. In this review, we provide a brief overview of flywheel inertia training and its supposed adaptions. Next, we discuss important determinants of flywheel inertia training such as familiarisation, volume prescription, inertia load, technique and specific exercise used. Thereafter, we investigate its effects on hamstring strength, fascicle length and hamstring strain injury reduction. This article proposes that hamstring specific flywheel inertia training can be utilised for strength development, but due to the low number of studies and contrary evidence, more research is needed before a definite conclusion can be made. In addition, as with any training modality, careful consideration should be given to flywheel inertia training determinants. This review provides general recommendations of flywheel inertia training determinants that have value when integrating flywheel inertia training into a hamstring strengthening program.
Highlights
Hamstring strain injuries (HSI) are among the most common types of injuries seen in the area of sports medicine in elite athletes, with a prevalence of 6 to 25%, depending on the sport [1,2,3]
To fully benefit from Flywheel Inertial Training (FIT), a certain amount of coordination is required [32], experience with these devices will have an impact on the results gained, especially if the exercises entail movements in a closed kinetic chain where the displacement is done against gravity [33]
Intensity plays a vital role in training prescription during FIT, but it is matched in importance by volume, as it is vital to any training intervention aiming to achieve a specific adaption
Summary
Hamstring strain injuries (HSI) are among the most common types of injuries seen in the area of sports medicine in elite athletes, with a prevalence of 6 to 25%, depending on the sport [1,2,3]. It seems to be most accepted that HSI during sprinting are most likely to occur due to excessive muscle strain caused by eccentric contraction during the late swing phase of the running gait cycle [15]. The exerted force unwinds a strap attached to the device’s shaft during the concentric phase, causing the flywheel to rotate; when the concentric phase is completed, the strap rewinds and the user must resist the device by performing an eccentric muscular action [30]. This technique can result in brief moments of eccentric overload if performed correctly [31]. FIT to provide practical guidelines to be used in hamstring specific FIT
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