Post-activation performance enhancement does not occur following a large hand-paddles and parachute-resisted warm-up routine in collegiate swimmers

Abstract

Our aim was to investigate if using a warm-up routine that included parachute-resisted sprints with large hand-paddles improves 50 m freestyle performance in trained collegiate swimmers. Twelve swimmers (23.9 +/- 2.2 years, 179 +/- 7 cm, 77.1 +/- 10.6 kg) participated in the study and completed two 50-m freestyle races, each preceded by a different warm-up routine, either control (CON) or experimental (EXP). The warm-up routines consisted of 500 m of swimming at self-selected speed, followed by four 10 s sprints with 1 min rest intervals. During EXP, sprints were performed using large hand-paddles and a swimming parachute, while during CON, sprints were performed freely. Performance and technique were assessed during the 50 m freestyle races. We found no significant differences in 25- and 50 m performance times (CON: 12.6 +/- 0.8 vs. EXP: 12.5 +/- 0.8 s, ES = 0.125; and CON: 26.8 +/- 1.6 vs. EXP: 26.7 +/- 1.7 s, ES = 0.06, respectively) between the two conditions. Mean stroke length (CON: 2.04 +/- 0.21 vs. EXP: 2.02 +/- 0.22 m center dot cycle-1, ES = 0.09), stroke frequency (CON: 55.4 +/- 5.3 vs. EXP: 56.3 +/- 5.2 cycles s-1, ES = 0.17), and propulsive time (CON: 0.62 +/- 0.07 vs. EXP: 0.61 +/- 0.06 s, ES = 0.15) were also not different between conditions. It is possible that the CON warm-up routine induced the priming effects that lead to PAPE, or that the EXP warm-up routine primed the athletes further but also induced greater fatigue, resulting in no significant effects on swimming performance. Our findings suggest that parachute-resisted sprints with hand-paddles during warm-up do not enhance 50 m freestyle swimming performance in trained collegiate swimmers. Coaches and practitioners should consider exploring different warm-up protocols to identify what works best for their athletes.