RESEARCH ARTICLE

            In my first article from the Journal of Athletic Training they studied the possible negative effects static stretching and warm-up had on athletes. The theory was that static stretching before actual competition or exercise decreased the anaerobic performance and power in adults and even adolescents. It is also thought that a dynamic workout increases neuromuscular function and stimulates quicker responses from the fast-twitch muscle fibers.
            The subjects included 18 high school females with the average height, weight and age, of 166.3cm, 61.6kg, and 15.3 years, respectively. They all participated in an individual sport including volleyball, lacrosse, basketball, track, and soccer.
            The warm-ups included: static stretching, moderate intensity to high-intensity dynamic exercise, moderate-intensity to high-intensity dynamic exercise with a vest weighted with 2% of body mass, or moderate-intensity to high-intensity dynamic exercise with a vest weighted with 6% of body mass. According to the article each session was carried out 48 hours after a heavy competition or workout. Each of the dynamic exercise programs consisted of: vertical jump, seated medicine ball throw, long jump, and a ten yard sprint.
            In the end the final results were relatively the same. Static stretching had the least performance rating in all the exercises except for the ten yard sprint. But the results were conclusive in that the dynamic exercise with a vest weighted to 2% body mass was the most effective in increasing performance. 

Avery D. Faigenbaum*; James E. McFarland†; Jeff A. Schwerdtman*;Nicholas A. Ratamess*; Jie Kang*; Jay R. Hoffman*; (2006 Oct-Dec). Dynamic Warm-Up Protocols, With and Without a Weighted Vest, and Fitness Performance in High School Female Athletes. Journal of Athletic Training, 41, Retrieved Feb 5, 2007, from http://www.nata.org/jat/readers/archives/41.4/i1062-6050-41-4-357.pdf

             In the second article the effects of icing before an activity; whether or not the ice had adverse effects on muscle flexibility, strength or performance. It is thought that icing before decreases athletic performance and ability, depending on the modality used.
            24 active men were used in this project all of them involved in some sort of athletic sport and also involved in cardiovascular activity or weightlifting at least three times a week. The average age, height, weight was; 21.3, 180.1cm, 76.7kg respectively.
            To test the subjects maximum physical performance they used; the single leg vertical jump, agility shuttle run, and a 40 yard sprint. They used four conditions; no ice/no warm-up 20 minutes of rest then three functional tests, no ice /warm-up 20 minutes of rest then 6.5 minutes of active warm-up and three tests, ice/no warm-up 20 minutes of ice followed by testing, and ice/warm-up 20 minutes of ice 6.5 active warm-up and functional testing.
            The results showed that for the vertical jump test, the ice bag application before reduced the subjects’ performance but the active warm-up after icing increased performance. In the shuttle run and sprint test, the results were the same as the vertical jump test with significant increase in sprint time.