Effects of using a general warm up with static stretching and a test rehearsal on anaerobic power in high school athletes

This study was designed to determine the effects of using a general warm up combined with either static stretching or a test specific rehearsal of the Countermovement Vertical Jump (CMVJ) and T-Test on anaerobic power in high school athletes. Thirty one high school athletes consisting of 16 males and 15 females were randomly selected to perform one of six protocols on six different days that were separated with at least 6 days of rest. The six protocols were (P1) a general warm up followed by the CMVJ, (P2), general warm up followed by the T-Test, (P3) a general warm up with static stretching followed by the CMVJ, (P4) a general warm up with static stretching followed by the T-Test, (P5) a general warm up followed with 5 repetitions of the CMVJ at sub maximal intensity followed by the CMVJ, and (P6) a general warm up followed with 5 repetitions of the T-Test at sub maximal intensity followed by the T-Test. Mean scores in the CMVJ and the T-Test under each of the three warm up treatment were analyzed using ANOVA in males, females, and for males and females combined. ANOVA's for all three warm up treatments for the CMVJH and T-Test were not significant when performed on males, females, and males and females combined. Although not significant, means for CMVJH under treatment P1 was the highest for males and females. Means for T-Test times for P2, P4, and P6 were inconsistent. Females had the fastest T-Test times under P2 while males had the fastest mean T-Test times under P6. In conclusion, when preceded with a general warm up, the practice of static stretching and 5 repetitions of a test specific rehearsal were not effective in enhancing anaerobic performance in high school athletes. Future studies should compare the effects of both specific and nonspecific dynamic warm up methods on anaerobic performance in high school athletes using larger sized samples.