Effects of long-term athletic training on muscle morphology and tendon stiffness in preadolescence: association with jump performance

Abstract

Purpose Evidence on training-induced muscle hypertrophy during preadolescence is limited and inconsistent. Possible associations of muscle strength and tendon stiffness with jumping performance are also not investigated. We investigated the thickness and pennation angle of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle (GM), as indicators for potential muscle hypertrophy in preadolescent athletes. Further, we examined the association of triceps surae muscle–tendon properties with jumping performance. Methods Eleven untrained children (9 years) and 21 similar-aged artistic gymnastic athletes participated in the study. Muscle thickness and pennation angle of the GM were measured at rest and muscle strength of the plantar flexors and Achilles tendon stiffness during maximum isometric contractions. Jumping height in squat (SJ) and countermovement jumps (CMJ) was examined using a force plate. We evaluated the influence of normalised muscle strength and tendon stiffness on jumping performance with a linear regression model. Results Muscle thickness and pennation angle did not differ significantly between athletes and non-athletes. In athletes, muscle strength was greater by 25% and jumping heights by 36% (SJ) and 43% (CMJ), but Achilles tendon stiffness did not differ between the two groups. The significant predictor for both jump heights was tendon stiffness in athletes and normalised muscle strength for the CMJ height in non-athletes. Conclusion Long-term artistic gymnastics training during preadolescence seems to be associated with increased muscle strength and jumping performance but not with training-induced muscle hypertrophy or altered tendon stiffness in the plantar flexors. Athletes benefit more from tendon stiffness and non-athletes more from muscle strength for increased jumping performance.

Strength and Jumping Asymmetries in Gymnast and Their Non-Gymnast Peers

“…In addition, the biological maturation (Tanner stages) of the gymnasts was not examined, which could affect the results of the asymmetries, since it is known that the observed age of the participants is crucial for biological maturation. In the studies with observed isometric knee strength or CMJ parameters, the sample size varied but is comparable to our study Pentidis et al, 2019Pentidis et al, , 2020Thompson et al, 2017), while other studies had larger sample sizes (Bencke et al, 2002;Ceroni et al, 2012;Hall et al, 2016;Karagianni et al, 2020;Kinser et al, 2008;Markström et al, 2019). However, the results showed good reliability for all observed parameters.…”

“…The study by Bencke et al (2002) compared CMJ height between gymnasts, swimmers, handball and tennis players and a study by compared CMJ height between gymnasts and a control group after the intervention. They found no significant differences in jump height between the observed groups, unlike the studies by Pentidis et al, (2019Pentidis et al, ( , 2020 that observed gymnasts and a control group of non-athletes, and the studies (Dallas, Kirialanis & Mellos, 2014;Dallas et al, 2019;Hall et al, 2016;Karagianni et al, 2020;Kinser et al, 2008) conducted on a gymnast and a control group after the intervention. The studies reported significant differences in jump height between the observed groups.…”

Implementing Ultrasound Imaging for the Assessment of Muscle and Tendon Properties in Elite Sports: Practical Aspects, Methodological Considerations and Future Directions

“…Despite this, there are some studies reporting positive associations between jump height and muscle architecture in athletes belonging to different sports [57][58][59]. In contrast, a recent study observed a significant relationship between Achilles tendon stiffness and jumping height in children practising artistic gymnastic [61]. Similarly, measures of muscle dimensions have been associated with parameters related to sports performance.…”

Latihan beban sirkuit intensitas maksimal terhadap hipertrofi lengan dan paha

“…Latihan kekuatan memerlukan periodesasi yang tepat, terdapat dua periodesasi, pertama linier (satu puncak) kedua bergelombang dengan beberapa puncak, kedua cara ini sama sama efektif untuk meningkatkan kekuatan, tetapi jika dibandingkan antara kedua metode ini metode satu puncak lebih efektif (Evans, 2019). Latihan senam dalam jangka yang panjang berkorelasi terhadap kekuatan otot, untuk atlet ternyata kekuatan otot lebih besar 35% dan untuk tinggi lompatan berbeda 36% (Pentidis et al, 2020) Disimpulkan bahwa stretch training tidak berpengaruh terhadap hipertrofi otot, tetapi stretch training yang dilakukan dengan memberikan beban kepada otot yang mengakibatkan otot berkontraksi akan memiliki pengaruh (Nunes et al, 2020).…”