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Effects of stretching and warm-up routines on stability and balance during weight-lifting: a pilot investigation
Adelsberger R, Troster G
BMC Research Notes 2014 Dec 20;7(938):Epub
clinical trial
2/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: No; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: No. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of warm-up and stretching in weight-lifting remains unknown, especially for the weight-lifter's stability and balance during lifting. METHODS: 13 subjects were randomly assigned a 10-minute stretching routine (SR) or a 10-minute warm-up routine (WR) and compared against 5 controls (no stretching or warm-up). Before and after the individually assigned routine, the participants' centre of pressure (CoP) was assessed using plantar-pressure sensors. The subjects were measured during 10 repetitions of air squat (no load, "AS"), front squat (FS; 20 kg/15 kg bar), overhead squat (OHS; m 20 kg/f 15 kg bar), and a deadlift lifting exercise ("DL"; 20 kg/15 kg bar). The impact on CoP dynamics of the warm-up and stretching routines were examined with repeated two-factor analysis of variances (ANOVA) of the mean and the coefficient of variance (CV, shown in %), as proxies for stability and balance. RESULTS: After stretching, the SR athletes shifted the mean CoP towards the toes (1 cm; p < 0.01) while the WR athletes shifted the CoP towards the heels (1 cm; p < 0.01) during AS. For the remaining exercises, the SR athletes shifted the CoP towards the heels (between 0.8 cm and 5.7 cm) compared to WR (1.9 cm towards the heels in FS, no significant change in OHS (1 mm) and DL (3 mm)). The controls did not show any change between pre- and post-datasets. After stretching, the CV decreased for the AS and OHS exercises (AS 10.2% to 7.0%, OHS 9.8% to 7.8%), but increased after WR (AS 7.1% to 10.1%) or did not change significantly (OHS). Both WR and SR resulted in increased CV values for FS and DL. No change of CV was observed in the controls. CONCLUSIONS: SR had a stronger impact on CoP during the assessed exercises than either WR or controls. A reduction in CV after SR exercises (AS, OHS) suggests a clear improvement in stability and balance during weight-lifting. The lack of a significant effect for complex movements (OHS) suggests only a limited effect of a 10-minute warm-up routine on CoP features. 10 minutes stretching might therefore be more efficient for improving stability than a general 10 minute warm-up.

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