The Effects of Aquatic Plyometric Training on Repeated Jumps, Drop Jumps and Muscle Damage

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of land- vs. aquatic based plyometric training programs on the drop jump, repeated jump performance and muscle damage. Sixty-five male students were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: aquatic plyometric training group (APT), plyometric training group (PT) and control group (CG). Both experimental groups trained twice a week for 10 weeks performing the same number of sets and total jumps. The following variables were measured prior to, halfway through and after the training programs: creatine kinase (CK) concentration, maximal height during a drop jump from the height of 30 (DJ30) and 50 cm (DJ50), and mean height during a repeated vertical jump test (RJ). The training program resulted in a significant increase (P<0.01-0.001) in RJ, DJ30, and DJ50 for PT, whereas neither APT nor CG reached any significant improvement APT showed likely/possibly improvements on DJ30 and DJ50, respectively. Greater intra-group Effect Size in CK was found for PT when compared to APT. In conclusion, although APT seems to be a safe alternative method for reducing the stress produced on the musculoskeletal system by plyometric training, PT produced greater gains on reactive jumps performance than APT.

The effect of aquatic and land plyometric training on the vertical jump and delayed onset muscle soreness in brazilian soccer players

“…Lavanant et al [18] reported a significant increase in muscle power in the group undergoing aquatic training. Fabricius [17] observed that the group that trained in the land obtained significant development in the tests of speed, agility, and power of lower limbs.…”

“…Buoyancy may proffer an upward thrust acting on any partially or fully immersed object in the direction opposite to gravity [17]. Aquatic PT (APT) has been indicated to reduce the symptoms of EIMD as compared with land PT (LPT) [18].…”

Análise biomecânica da fase de contato no salto em profundidade no solo e na água

“…However, lower drop heights and less intense loads are preferable in the initial stages of adaptation to training and increases must be gradual 16 . Additionally, the load reduction during braking sub-phase in water can be one of the reasons for lower levels of delayed onset muscle soreness 23 and / or the lower concentration of muscular stress markers 9 reported in literature for individuals who perform aquatic plyometric training compared to those who perform ground plyometric training.…”

“…According to Flanagan and Comyns 16 and Walsh et al 18 , training using exercises in which SSC is slowly performed may not be as beneficial for athletes who primarily need fast action in sports. According to Jurado-Lavanant et al 9 , one should take into account the principle of specificity: although plyometric training in water appears to be safer than plyometric training on land, where performance depends on the ability to immediately perform a maximum vertical jump towards a target (DJ) or the repetition of high-intensity actions (sequential rebound jumps), better results are probably achieved through plyometric training on dry land. Nevertheless, it is believed that in situations where there is need for load control during landings, for example, in a period of preparation for plyometric training or in a process of returning to practice after a period of rehabilitation, the aquatic environment can be useful and motivating.…”

“…Due to the high intensity, some authors postulate that there is a potential risk of injury associated with this form of training 7,8 and, therefore, the performance of plyometric training in the aquatic environment [8][9][10] has been recently proposed, considering the reduction of impact forces due to the action of buoyancy. This reduction has been evidenced in literature during the performance of various exercises such as walking 11 , running 12 , stationary running 13 and jumps 7,14,15 .…”