Athletic Performance Enhancement, Neuromuscular Performance in Athletes, Physical Performance
Conditions
Keywords
Neuroathletic training, Neural priming, Collegiate athletes, Eccentric hamstring strength, Jump performance, Visual training, Vestibular stimulation, H-Bord
Brief summary
This study investigated the acute and short-term effects of neuroathletic training (NAT)-integrated resistance training compared with conventional resistance training on physical and neuromuscular performance in collegiate athletes. Fifty-eight collegiate athletes completed two experimental resistance training sessions separated by one week. The conventional resistance training condition was performed first, followed one week later by a NAT-integrated resistance training condition. Both sessions included the same lower-extremity resistance exercises, training volume, intensity, exercise order, and rest intervals. During the NAT-integrated condition, visual, vestibular, gaze-stabilization, and proprioceptive drills were incorporated before selected resistance sets and during rest intervals. Sprint acceleration, bilateral and unilateral jump performance, eccentric hamstring strength, bilateral hamstring maximum difference, and sit-and-reach flexibility were assessed before training, immediately after training, 15 minutes after training, and 30 minutes after training.
Detailed description
Neuroathletic training is an emerging training approach that incorporates visual, vestibular, proprioceptive, and sensorimotor exercises with the aim of improving the quality of sensory input and motor readiness. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether integrating brief neuroathletic training drills into a conventional lower-extremity resistance training session could influence acute and short-term physical performance responses in trained collegiate athletes. The study used a non-randomized, fixed-order, within-participant repeated-measures intervention design. Fifty-eight collegiate athletes completed two experimental sessions separated by one week. During the first experimental session, participants completed conventional lower-extremity resistance training. During the second session, participants completed the same resistance training program combined with neuroathletic training drills. Therefore, each participant served as their own control. The resistance training protocol consisted of leg press, Romanian deadlift, leg extension, seated leg curl, dumbbell step-up, and Copenhagen exercise. Training volume, intensity, exercise order, and rest intervals were matched between conditions. During the conventional condition, rest intervals consisted of passive rest. During the NAT-integrated condition, participants completed a 6-8-minute pre-session neuroathletic activation block followed by brief neuroathletic primers before selected resistance sets and during rest intervals. These drills included binocular and monocular convergence-divergence tasks, unilateral eye occlusion, gaze stabilization, vertical and horizontal vestibular stimulation, head-position variations, and proprioceptive awareness exercises. Performance assessments were conducted before training (T0), immediately after training (T1), 15 minutes after training (T2), and 30 minutes after training (T3) during each experimental condition. Outcome measures included 5-meter sprint acceleration, bilateral countermovement jump performance, right- and left-leg unilateral jump performance, eccentric hamstring strength assessed using the IVMES H-Bord during the Nordic hamstring exercise, bilateral maximum difference between hamstring strength outputs, and sit-and-reach flexibility.
Interventions
OTHERConventional Lower-Extremity Resistance Training
Participants completed a standardized lower-extremity resistance training session consisting of six exercises: leg press, Romanian deadlift, leg extension, seated leg curl, dumbbell step-up, and Copenhagen exercise. Leg press: 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions at approximately RPE 7-8, with 90 seconds rest. Romanian deadlift: 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions with a controlled 4-second eccentric phase and 90 seconds rest. Leg extension: 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions with an explosive concentric phase and 75-90 seconds rest. Seated leg curl: 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions with a 4-5-second eccentric phase and 90 seconds rest. Dumbbell step-up: 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions per leg with 90 seconds rest. Copenhagen exercise: 3 sets of 20-30 seconds per side with 60-90 seconds rest. Rest intervals consisted of passive rest only. No visual, vestibular, proprioceptive, gaze-stabilization, unilateral eye-occlusion, saccular, or utricular drills were performed.
OTHERNeuroathletic Training-Integrated Resistance Training
Participants completed the same lower-extremity resistance training protocol used in the conventional condition. The NAT-integrated condition additionally included a 6-8-minute pre-session neuroathletic activation block and brief neuroathletic primers before selected resistance sets and during rest intervals. The neuroathletic components included binocular convergence-divergence exercises, monocular convergence-divergence with unilateral eye occlusion, vertical vestibular/saccular stimulation, horizontal or linear vestibular stimulation, gaze stabilization, head-position variation, and proprioceptive awareness tasks. The purpose of these drills was to provide acute neural priming through visual, vestibular, oculomotor, proprioceptive, and sensorimotor stimulation while maintaining the same resistance training volume and intensity as the conventional condition.
Sponsors
Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Non-Randomized
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Were collegiate athletes participating in organized sport training. * Had participated in regular sport-specific training for at least one year. * Had previous experience with lower-extremity resistance training. * Had previous experience with the exercises used in the study, including leg press, Romanian deadlift, leg extension, seated leg curl, dumbbell step-up, and Copenhagen exercise. * Were familiar with maximal or near-maximal sprinting, jumping, and lower-limb strength testing. * Were able to complete 5-meter sprint testing, bilateral and unilateral jump testing, Nordic hamstring testing, sit-and-reach flexibility testing, and the resistance training protocols. * Were able to perform maximal or near-maximal lower-limb tasks without pain or movement restriction. * Agreed to attend both experimental sessions and all measurement time points.
Exclusion criteria
* Had an acute lower-extremity musculoskeletal injury during the previous three months. * Had a hamstring strain, quadriceps strain, groin injury, ankle sprain, knee injury, hip injury, or low back pain limiting sport participation during the previous three months. * Had undergone lower-extremity surgery during the previous 12 months. * Experienced current pain during sprinting, jumping, Nordic hamstring testing, flexibility testing, or resistance exercise. * Had a neurological disorder. * Had diagnosed vestibular dysfunction. * Had recurrent vertigo or unexplained dizziness. * Had severe motion sensitivity. * Had a balance disturbance. * Had uncorrected visual impairment. * Had diplopia or severe visual tracking difficulties. * Had any condition preventing safe completion of eye-occlusion or gaze-stabilization exercises. * Had experienced concussion within the previous six months. * Had persistent post-concussion symptoms. * Had cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, or systemic disease limiting high-intensity exercise. * Used medication known to influence balance, alertness, reaction time, exercise tolerance, or neuromuscular performance. * Failed to comply with pre-test instructions. * Failed to attend both experimental sessions. * Had incomplete data at any measurement time point.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bilateral Hamstring Maximum Difference (MD) | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each experimental session. | Maximum between-limb difference in eccentric hamstring strength. MD was calculated as: MD (%) = \|Right limb value - Left limb value\| / higher limb value × 100 Lower values indicate greater bilateral symmetry. |
| Eccentric Hamstring Strength | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each of the two experimental sessions separated by one week. | Eccentric hamstring strength was assessed using the IVMES H-Bord during the Nordic hamstring exercise. Peak eccentric force was recorded separately for the left and right limbs (Max Left and Max Right), together with device-derived left- and right-side strength outputs (T Left and T Right). |
| Sit-and-Reach Flexibility | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each experimental session. | Hamstring-related posterior chain flexibility assessed using the standard sit-and-reach test. Distance was recorded in centimeters, with higher values representing greater flexibility. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5-Meter Sprint Acceleration | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each experimental session. | Short-distance acceleration performance measured using an electronic photocell timing gate system. Sprint time was recorded in seconds. Lower values indicate better acceleration performance. |
| Bilateral Jump Performance | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each experimental session. | Maximal bilateral countermovement jump performance recorded in centimeters. Higher values indicate greater lower-limb explosive performance. |
| Right-Leg Unilateral Jump | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each experimental session. | Maximum single-leg jump performance of the right limb recorded in centimeters. The best valid trial was used. |
| Left-Leg Unilateral Jump | Baseline, immediately post-training, 15 minutes post-training, and 30 minutes post-training during each experimental session. | Maximum single-leg jump performance of the left limb recorded in centimeters. The best valid trial was used. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed