Muscular Power Dynamics Of Elite Cheerleaders Throughout Practice

Countermovement jumps (CMJ) reflect neuromuscular function by examining jump height (JH) and rate of power development (RPD). There is limited evidence about power production and its relationship to fatigue in competitive cheerleaders. PURPOSE: To examine JH and RPD among elite male and female cheerleaders a week prior to the World Championship. METHODS: Sixteen participants [26.4 ± 3.4 y.o.; men (M; n = 5); females (F; n = 11)] from the All Girls and Coed German National Cheerleading teams performed three CMJ on Accupower Force Plates before practice (T1), after a warm-up (T2), after a simulated competition routine (T3) and after practice (T4). All CMJ were performed with the hands-on the hips, while a three second countdown cued the athlete to jump. A ten second break between each CMJ was provided. To examine the changes of average JH and RPD, separate repeated two-way (time*sex) ANOVA’s were performed with a Tukey-Kramer post-hoc analysis. RESULTS: Main effects were found on sex and time for JH and RPD (JH: p = 0.011; p = 0.02, respectively; RPD: p = 0.0005; p = 0.0008, respectively). On average, men jumped higher and displayed higher RPD than females (M; JH: 37.7 cm ± 1.97; RPD: 28485 ± 2215.74 W/s vs. F: JH: 30.9 ± 1.33 cm; RPD: 16697 ± 1493.85 W/s). From T1 to T2, both sexes increased JH by an average of 4.8 cm (31.14 ± 1.61 cm to 35.99 ± 1.61 cm; p = 0.0144). However, no significant results were found for the other time periods. RPD significantly increased from T1 to T2 by an average of 2255.02 W/s in both sexes (21598 ± 1475.61 W/s to 23853 ± 1475.61 W/s; p = 0.042). From T2 to T4 both sexes trended to decrease RPD by an average of 2932.27 W/s (23853 ± 1475.61 W/s to 23853 ± 1475.61 W/s; p = 0.058). Additionally, from T3 to T4, RPD significantly decreased by an average of 3071.57 W/s among both sexes (23992 ± 1475.61 W/s to 20920 ± 1475.61 W/s; p = 0.0029). CONCLUSION: Both sexes increased JH from T1 to T2 and maintained JH throughout T3 and T4. Additionally, both sexes increased their RPD from T1 to T2 but decreased at T3 and T4, therefore, RPD was more sensitive for detecting fatigue in cheerleaders before the World Championship. Future research should examine whether RPD relates to the quality of the movement assessed by Competitive Cheerleading scoring scales.