ORIGINAL ARTICLE  EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2018 October;58(10):1423-31

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.17.07527-2

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Effect of eight weeks of upper-body plyometric training during the competitive season on professional female volleyball players

David VALADÉS CERRATO ¹ ✉, José M. PALAO ², Pedro FEMIA ³, Aurelio UREÑA ⁴

¹ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Physical Education and Sport, University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain; ² Department of Health, Exercise Science and Sport Management, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Somers, WI, USA; ³ Department of Statistics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Granada, Granada, Spain; ⁴ Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sports Science at the University of Granada, Granada, Spain

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of incorporating specific upper-body plyometric training for the spike into the competitive season of a women’s professional volleyball team.
METHODS: A professional team from the Spanish first division participated in the study. An A-B-A’ quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups was used. The independent variable was the upper-body plyometric training for eight weeks during the competitive season. The dependent variables were the spiked ball’s speed (km/h); the player’s body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), and muscle percentage in arms (%); 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the bench press (kg); 1RM in the pullover (kg); and overhead medicine ball throws of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 kg (m). Inter-player and inter-group statistical analyses of the results were carried out (Wilcoxon test and linear regression model).
RESULTS: The experimental group significantly improved their spike speed 3.8% from phase A to phase B, and they maintained this improvement after the retention phase. No improvements were found in the control group. The experimental group presented a significant improvement from phase A to phase B in dominant arm muscle area (+10.8%), 1RM for the bench press (+8.41%), 1RM for the pullover (+14.75%), and overhead medicine ball throws with 1 kg (+7.19%), 2 kg (+7.69%), and 3 kg (+5.26%). The control group did not present differences in these variables.
CONCLUSIONS: Data showed the plyometric exercises that were tested could be used by performance-level volleyball teams to improve spike speed. The experimental group increased their upper-body maximal strength, their power application, and spike speed.

KEY WORDS: Sports - Athletic performance - Muscle strength