Abstract:

In the recent years, self-myofascial release has become an increasingly popular technique to support traditional methods in strength and conditioning fields and commercial gyms. This current technique has been seen in the form of total-body foam rolling. Self-myofascial release with foam is commonly used both before and after a workout. There are a great number of studies focused on the effects of classical or deep tissue foam roller on sprint, agility and vertical jump performance in the literature. However, there are limited studies demonstrating the efficacy of pre-exercise self-myofascial release with vibrating foam roller on sprint, agility and vertical jump. The aim of this study is to determine the acute effects of the application of pre-exercise vibratory foam roller in addition to dynamic stretching on speed, agility, vertical jump and flexibility. Fourteen healthy male college students (age: 21.42±1.62 year, height: 177.82±8.33 cm, weight: 73.79±11.42 kg) volunteered to participate in the current study. The participants first performed dynamic stretching and two days later the vibrating foam rolling intervention in addition to dynamic stretching. Following these practices, 10 and 30 meter sprint, agility, vertical jump and flexibility tests were conducted. Wilcoxon test was used to compare the two protocols. Intraclass correlation coefficient test was used to determine correlation between two measurements. While there was a statistically significant increase in the flexibility value (26.40±4.38 cm vs. 23.00 ±3.91 cm,  p<0.05) after vibrating foam roller application, no significant difference (p>0.05) was found between the two protocols in sprint, agility, active and squad jump values. An acute bout of pre-exercise vibrating foam roller intervention was an effective treatment to acutely increase flexibility without a concomitant deficit in muscle performance. 

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