A standard operating procedure proposal for the warm-up of sit and reach test in young adults

Background: The sit and reach test (SRT) is an evaluation of muscle extensibility. Most studies adopting the SRT do not provide information about the warm-up. Whole body vibration (WBV) is a training that has positive outcomes also on flexibility performance. It was decided to evaluate how warm-up, also with WBV, influences flexibility and to propose a standard operating procedure that adopts this instrument. Methods: Ninety participants performed the SRT three times: half performed it with WBV to maximize the performance; half underwent a passive rest between the SRT. Data were analyzed with the Friedman Test and the Pairwise Comparisons Durbin-Conover. Results: Differences between SRT repetitions were reduced after two trials. SRT1 vs. SRT2 presented a difference of 1.1 cm (P=0.063), and SRT2 and SRT3 had a difference of 1 cm (P=0.453). The SRT results with WBV provided a valuable difference between the first and the second trial of 3.1 cm (P<0.001) while between the second and the third was 0.3 cm (P=0.609). No statistical differences were between SRT3 with and without WBV (P=0.384). Conclusions: There was an acute positive effect of WBV on flexibility. The findings also suggest that before the SRT, participants had to perform a standardized warm-up.