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REV IT UP: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MYOFASCIAL RELEASE DURING RESISTANCE EXERCISE

DR Greene
A Stone

Abstract

Daniel R. Greene, Adrian Stone. Augusta University, Augusta, GA.

New technology has led to the advancement of and availability for personalized myofascial release before, during, and after exercise. Percussive therapy massagers are said to reduce inflammation and speed up muscle recovery, but are they well tolerated by individuals? PURPOSE: Examine the acute changes in affective states and enjoyment following resistance exercise utilizing myofascial release, relative to no myofascial release. METHODS: Participants [N= 18, 8 females; age (M ± SD); 20.3 ± 1.5 yrs; BMI (M ± SD); 24.5 ± 3.4] completed single arm biceps curls and single leg, leg extensions until functional-failure (i.e., ≤ 6 reps completed). All participants completed an active (i.e., use of percussion massage) and control (i.e., no percussion massage) session on separate days. All resistance exercise was performed at the participant’s pre-determined 10 repetition maximum. RESULTS: While both active [(M ± SD); 109 ± 14] and control [(M ± SD); 107 ± 11] conditions resulted in high levels of enjoyment, post-exercise enjoyment was not different between conditions [P = .69]. Additionally, participants showed no differences in affective states between conditions, but reported significant pre-post affective changes. Specifically, Energy [Cohen’s d = 1.29], Tension [Cohen’s d = 0.75], and State Anxiety [Cohen’s d = 0.60] increased, while Tiredness [Cohen’s d = 0.74] and Calmness [Cohen’s d = 0.98] decreased. CONCLUSION: It appears that percussive therapy utilized during resistance exercise was well tolerated by participants. Enjoyment levels and all measured affective states were not different between conditions. Further, resistance exercise with and without the use of myofascial release resulted in increased energy and decreased tiredness levels. While unfavorable effects were observed for state anxiety, calmness, and tension, these effects were moderate and not dissimilar to other studies utilizing high intensity exercise designs. Overall, it appears the use of myofascial release during resistance exercise has no psychological impact on participants.

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