Purpose
To compare the effects of flywheel resistance training (FRT) vs traditional resistance training (TRT) during the late-stage ACL-rehab phase on performance outcomes in professional team sport athletes.
Methods
22 professional athletes with unilateral constructed ACL were divided into a FRT (n = 11) and TRT (n = 11) group during their late-stage rehab (approximately 5 – 6 months post-op). Both groups completed 2 – 3 training sessions per week for 6 weeks (15 total sessions) with 6 exercises per session. The starting volume for each exercise occurred at 2 sets of 6 reps during the first week and linearly progressed up to 3 sets of 10 reps in week 6. Throughout the training intervention, a moderate load (.075 kg m2) was utilized for the FRT group and the TRT group utilized roughly 80% of their 1RM. In addition to the 2 – 3 sessions that occurred with either the flywheel or traditional free weight, both groups underwent 2 - 3 additional rehabilitation sessions that consisted of aerobic exercise, upper body movements, and field-based work. Pre-and-post strength and jump assessments were taken before and after the training interventions.
Results
Both groups showed significant improvements across all of the variables assessed. However, the FRT program resulted in greater respective improvements in lower body strength (27% vs 18%), CMJ (13% vs 7%), single-leg jump with injured leg (24% vs 14%), single-leg hop with injured leg (24% vs 8%), and triple-leg hop with injured leg (14% vs 5%) (FRT vs TRT, respectively).
Key Takeaways
- During late-stage ACL rehab, the utilization of FRT seems to result in better outcomes than TRT in strength and jumping measurements.
- The same volume and reps’ scheme can be used with FRT to achieve similar or potentially grater performance increases when compared to TRT.
