Warm-up or Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation are Unnecessary before Anaerobic or Aerobic Power Exercise?

Abstract

Preparatory activities for physical exercise and/or sports competition are carried out with the improving performance and preventing injuries. Traditional Warm-up (TW), such as jogging and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching, are two examples of activities used for this purpose. However, there is no consensus in the literature about their efficacy, and which of them is the best. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of TW and PNF on anaerobic power (AnP) and Aerobic Power (AP) and on physiological variables. In this study 10 (ten) men aged between 18 and 30 years, physically active, non-athletes, were evaluated in an external environment with an average temperature of 34 °C, in a crossover system in 04 different time intervals: TW (M1), PNF (M2), TW (M3) and PNF (M4) before the vertical jump test and 20m Yo-Yo tests, with an interval of one week between them. The AnP and AP values were calculated; the post-test lactate and heart rate were measured, and the volunteers were asked about Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) 24h the tests. One-way ANOVA was carried out to test the 04 time intervals, with significance established at 5%. There were no differences between the variables in the different time intervals. There was no difference in physical performance in any of the types of pre-exercise preparation activities. Furthermore, TW with elevation of body temperature and PNF that improve muscle length appeared to be dispensable for active young men in a warm environment.