Ballistic stretch or aerobic warm-up evoke postexercise hypotension after maximal exercise

Abstract Warm-up is broadly used to increase performance and protect against injury in sports. However, the effects of different models of warm-up on maximal exercise and the subsequent recovery period are undetermined. This study aimed to assess the effects of different warm-ups on performance, blood pressure and autonomic control. Methods: 53 subjects rested for 5 minutes and then were randomly allocated to one of four experimental groups: Control (CTR), Aerobic Warm-up (AER), Static (SST) or Ballistic (BST) stretch. Immediately after warm-up, they performed a maximal cycling test and rested for 30 minutes. Heart rate variability (HRV), Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were assessed throughout the entire experiment. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-test or two-way ANOVA followed by either Bonferroni or Dunnet post-test, when appropriate. Warm-up did not change test performance or HRV (p>.05), however, when compared between-groups, SBP was higher in BST against all groups (p<.05) after warm-up, and lower in SST and AER after maximal test (p>.05). When compared to baseline values SST showed increased SBP in recovery (p<.05) while only AER and BST showed post-exercise hypotension at 30 minutes (p<.05). In conclusion, despite the lack of effects on performance, AER and BST seem to improve while SST seems to impair the recovery of cardiovascular parameters in an autonomic-independent mechanism.