PHYSIOLOGICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2017 September;70(3):299-306

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.17.02952-0

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Evaluation of plyometric exercises intensity using ratings of perceived exertion scale

Kazem KHODAEI ¹ ✉, Abbas MOHAMMADI ², Mohammad R. HAMEDINIA ³

¹ Physical Education and Sport Sciences Faculty, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran; ² Department of Physical Education, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar Branch, Sabzevar, Iran; ³ Physical Education and Sport Sciences Faculty, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluating and quantifying plyometric exercises intensity using Ratings Of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale.
METHODS: Twenty athletes volunteered to perform 9 plyometric exercises with 10 repetitions. The resting intervals between each plyometric exercises set three minutes. During resting intervals, participants filled the Borg RPE questionnaire. Testing protocol performed in two trials with 48-hour-interval. Average values of each plyometric exercise in two trials analyzed by a 1-way repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
RESULTS: The results were revealed a significant main effect for all plyometrics. The Post-Hoc Test result indicated that the skipping had the “very light” intensity and significantly lower intensity than all plyometrics. The Cone hops and the squat jump had the “light” intensity and significantly had lower intensity than all plyometrics except the skipping. The tuck jump, the barrier jump, the box jump, and the depth jump had the “moderate” intensity and significantly lower intensity than the single leg vertical jump and the pike jump. The single leg vertical jump and the pike jump also had the “high” intensity and significantly higher intensity than all plyometrics.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of present study indicated that individual responses to plyometric exercises with the RPE scale as a physiological assessing method more similar to responses of biomechanical assessing methods used in previous studies. This method is a low-cost and practical method that applicable in large groups and various plyometric exercises.

KEY WORDS: Plyometric exercise - Athletic performance - Muscles