Effects of Preconditioning Lower-Extremity Resistance Exercises on Multidirectional Repeated Sprinting-Induced Muscle Damage

Hsu, SM, Tseng, WC, Chiu, CH, Hsieh, TY, Weng, MC, Dai, X, and Chen, CH. Effects of preconditioning lower-extremity resistance exercises on multi directional repeated sprinting-induced muscle damage. J Strength Cond Res 39(2): e89-e95, 2025-Sprint exercise-induced muscle damage is a popular area of investigation. To examine whether preconditioning lower-extremity resistance exercises would reduce the amount of muscle damage observed after a multi-directional repeated sprinting (MDS) exercise. Thirty-six elite male athletes were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 groups: general warm-up (GW), GW with loaded jump squat (SQ), and GW with loaded hip thrust (HT). Knee flexion isometric strength (MVIC), passive hip flexion range of motion (ROM), soreness, countermovement jump (CMJ), sprint time, and plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity were measured at the pretest and post-24, -48, and -72 hours of the MDS. For SQ, the CK at post-72 hours was significantly lower than the GW group. The decrements of MVIC at post-48 and -72 hours for SQ were significantly less than the GW group. The CMJs at post-24 and -48 hours for SQ and at post-48 and -72 hours for HT were significantly higher than the GW group. The 0-10 m sprint time at post-48 hour for HT was significantly better than the GW group. Adding the SQ or HT interventions to a GW before MDS has a protective effect on the sprinting-induced muscle damage and faster recovery.