Honors Theses

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management

First Advisor

John Garner

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Coaches, trainers, and performers depend on sports conditioning to take an athletes performance to the next level. Because the mechanisms used during conditioning are so important for sports, research has been collected over many years to determine the on best way to efficiently progress towards a better performance. A recently studied performance enhancing technique is whole body low frequency vibration (WBLFV). The purpose of this study was to show whether whole body vibration enhanced athletic performance with an increase in the absolute and relative peak-z forces and to determine an optimal rest interval between vibration and performance. Sixteen healthy female adults completed the study. WBLFV was given through a vertical platform at a frequency of 30 Hz, amplitude of 2-4mm, and duration of 4 bouts of 30s for a total of 2 minutes with a 1:1 rest ratio. The participant preformed a quarter squat every 5 seconds on the vibration platform. After WBLFV, the participant followed with 3-countermovement vertical jumps (CMVJ) on the force platform with 5 different rest intervals (immediate, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 4 minutes). The control condition required participants to perform quarter squats with no vibration exposure and then immediately perform 3 CMVJs. The results showed a significant (<0.05) difference between the control and vibration groups, vibration with greater force results in both absolute (p=0.009) and relative (p=0.003) peak-z forces. No significant (>0.05) difference was found between the rest intervals for both absolute and relative peak-z forces. This study supports that vibration does lead to a greater force development and potentially better overall performance, yet the parameters within the vibration technique need more review to show vibration’s full effectiveness. With further research, vibration may develop as a primary technique in certain athletic training regimes.

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