Neuromuscular Adaptations and Enhancement of Physical Performance in Female Basketball Players After 8 Weeks of Plyometric Training

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an 8-week in-season plyometric training (PT) program on the physical performance and neuromuscular adaptations of female basketball players. Twenty-seven elite female basketball players (aged 21.0 ± 2.6 years) were assigned between an experimental group (n = 15) who substituted a part of their usual training with biweekly PT, and a control group (n = 12) who maintained their standard basketball training. Analyses of variance and co-variance assessed changes in 10, 20, and 30 m sprint times, ability to change direction (T-test) and jumping ability [squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ)] with electromyographic assessment of the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and rectus femoris muscles during jumping and meassurement of the isokinetic strength of the knee muscles. After 8 weeks of the plyometric program the experimental group enhanced change of direction performance (Δ = −3.90%, d = 0.67) and showed a greater thigh cross sectional area (Δ = 9.89%, d = 0.95) relative to controls. Neural adaptations included significant improvements of EMG parameters for the vastus medialis muscle during Squat Jumping (Δ = 109.3%, d = 0.59). However, trends to improvements of sprinting times and jumping performances did not reach statistical significance. In addition, there were no gains in the peak torque and the average power of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles at either slow or moderate test speeds. We conclude that 8-weeks of PT (72–126 jumps) was insufficient to improve many of the variables associated with basketball performance in our subject-group. Further studies of female basketball players, extending the program period and increasing the intensity and speed of jumps are recommended in the search for more significant results.

Effect of Plyometric Jump Training on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review With Multilevel Meta-Analysis

“…The total number of participants across the included studies is 478 (range = 18–101; median = 23), comprising 245 INT (range = 9–50, median = 13) and 233 CON (range = 5–51, median = 11). The majority of the studies used different types of jumps in their training programmes (e.g., bilateral/unilateral vertical and horizontal jumps) ( Kyröläinen et al, 2005 ; Marković et al, 2005 ; Herrero et al, 2006 ; Chelly et al, 2010 ; Fouré et al, 2011 ; Fouré et al, 2012 ; Chelly et al, 2014 ; Chelly et al, 2015 ; McKinlay et al, 2018 ; Fathi et al, 2019 ; Cherni et al, 2020 ). Four studies used one single type of jump such as bilateral countermovemt jump or lateral box jump ( Skurvydas and Brazaitis, 2010 ; Correa et al, 2012 ; Earp et al, 2015 ; Allison et al, 2018 ).…”

“…The mean age across studies ranged from 10.3 to 72.5 years with a median of 20.1 years. Two studies examined the effects of plyometric jump training on hypertrophy in female participants ( Correa et al, 2012 ; Cherni et al, 2020 ), while one study included a mixed intervention group but used a male-only control group ( Skurvydas and Brazaitis, 2010 ). The remaining twelve studies included male participants.…”

“…Two studies included older adults ( Correa et al, 2012 ; Allison et al, 2018 ). As to training experience, five studies recruited athletes ( Chelly et al, 2010 ; Chelly et al, 2014 ; Chelly et al, 2015 ; Fathi et al, 2019 ; Cherni et al, 2020 ), while ten studies investigated the effects of plyometric jump training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy in non-athletes ( Kyröläinen et al, 2005 ; Marković et al, 2005 ; Herrero et al, 2006 ; Skurvydas and Brazaitis, 2010 ; Fouré et al, 2011 ; Fouré et al, 2012 ; Correa et al, 2012 ; Earp et al, 2015 ; Allison et al, 2018 ; McKinlay et al, 2018 ). Regarding the muscle group investigated, four studies examined hypertrophy in the knee extensors ( Skurvydas and Brazaitis, 2010 ; Correa et al, 2012 ; Earp et al, 2015 ; McKinlay et al, 2018 ) and four in the plantar flexor ( Kyröläinen et al, 2005 ; Fouré et al, 2011 ; Fouré et al, 2012 ; Allison et al, 2018 ).…”

Auto-Regulation Method vs. Fixed-Loading Method in Maximum Strength Training for Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In the published literature, the bench press and squat are the core tests for athletes' fundamental strength, and play essential roles in athletic performances (Hoffman et al, 2007;Patrick et al, 2011), thus these results indicated the significance of the auto-regulation method in enhancing fundamental strength. In addition, competing athletes usually need integrated training to improve athletic performance, such as plyometrics training combined with strength training (Cherni et al, 2021). The autoregulation method may provide flexible training arrangements for athletes to finish their training goals.…”

Recent Progress in Applicability of Exercise Immunology and Inflammation Research to Sports Nutrition

“…In particular, HMB-free acid (HMB-FA) has excellent intestinal absorption and is expected to have immediate effects, but a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial using 3 g of HMB-FA and placebo per day for 6 weeks after resistance training showed that HMB-FA increased muscle strength and the secretory response of growth hormone and IGF-1, which have anabolic effects on protein [15,16,102]. In addition, plyometric training, which has been attracting attention as a method of increasing instantaneous power, such as jumping power [101,103,104], causes muscle damage and inflammatory oxidative stress when the load is high, but HMB-FA intake was shown to prevent these problems [16,[101][102][103]. Thus, HMB may have led to the enhancement and improvement of muscle function, not only by promoting muscle protein synthesis but also by preventing muscle damage through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.…”