Acute effect of acrobatic jumps on different elastic platforms in the muscle response evaluated through tensiomyography

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the changes in the muscle mechanics for the flexo-extension of the knee joint and extension of the ankle joint from a sample of 14 high-performance male gymnasts (mean ± SD: age 20.71±3.12 years; body mass 67.59±6.10 kg, height 1.73±0.05 cm). An acrobatic training protocol in three different elastic platforms: gymnastics floor, tumbling track, and trampolining, and its recovery times were compared. The contraction time, delay time, deformation of the muscle belly were evaluated and muscular response speed was calculated by Tensiomyography. The results showed different types of propensity to fatigue according to the muscle group involved (p<0.05). The greater the stiffness of the surface, the greater the muscle enhancement and the shorter post-effort recovery time. In trampolining fatigue level was higher in all muscle groups (p<0.05) and they needed more time to retrieve the baseline. The decrease of the delay and contraction time in vastus medialis (p<0.001) reflected the instability experienced in performing jumps when the training surface was changed from high to low elasticity in a short period of time. Tensiomyography allowed us to estimate the different levels of activation-enhancement at which the muscle reaches levels of fatigue, which enables training on different drive surfaces to be adapted and to evaluate the optimal recovery time for preventing joint instability.