Warm-up effect on handgrip strength in sedentary and overweight women

Abstract

Introduction: The evaluation of handgrip strength has gain special relevance in the area of health. However, a standardized protocol of application is required to measure it, including warm-up procedures.Objective: To compare the acute effects of different warm-up strategies on maximal handgrip strength (MHS) in sedentary and overweight women.Materials and methods: Single-blind, randomized, cross-over study in which MHS was measured in 12 overweight women under the following conditions: i) no warm-up (control condition), ii) static stretching warm-up, iii) strength-based warm-up (i.e., resistance band exercise), and iv) isometric squeezing-ball warm-up for the forearm muscles. A Jamar dynamometer was used for the measurements, which were taken on four different days, at 48-hour rest intervals; three measurement were made per hand.Results: MHS mean values were 23.8 and 24.9 kg without warm-up, 20.3 and 21.4 kg after stretching warm-up, 20.9 and 22.9 kg after strength-based warm-up, and 22.0 and 23.0 kg after squeezing-ball warm-up for non-dominant and dominant hand, respectively. No significant (p>0.05; one-way ANOVA) differences were observed between protocols, nor differences in MHS in relation to nutritional status, lean mass or fat mass.Conclusion: Warm-up is not required to measure MHS in overweight sedentary women when three measurements are made.