‍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.