Author(s): GOSSET, M., COQUART, A., DELAVAL, B., CATALANO, J., BOZOK, D., DOUCHET, T., ABAIDIA, A., JAFFRÉ, C., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF PICARDIE JULES VERNE, Country: FRANCE, Abstract-ID: 717

INTRODUCTION:
In soccer, players may be exposed to a congested schedule of training sessions leading to fatigue accumulation. To avoid an increased risk of injury and a decrease of performance, it is of importance to limit fatigue without interfering with training adaptations. Studies have shown the beneficial effect of compression garments on post-exercise recovery. However, to our knowledge, no study focused on the effects of a chronic use of compression garments on training adaptations. This study aimed to analyze the impact of a chronic use (6 weeks) of compression garments on training adaptations following plyometric training in soccer players. It was hypothesized that compression garments will have a beneficial effect on training adaptations, compared to a placebo.
METHODS:
Twenty soccer players from a reserve team of a professional club were randomly assigned to receive either compression garments (Elite Compression Tight, RVE, Deinze, Belgium) or a placebo for 24 hours following a plyometric session. The players participated to a plyometric training program: 2 sessions per week during 6 weeks. The groups were tested before and after the training program on the following parameters: countermovement jump performance, one-leg sprint power, pennation angle of the calf muscles, creatine kinase levels, soreness and recovery perception. The results were analyzed using a two-factor mixed linear model.
RESULTS:
All the performance parameters were significantly improved following the training program (p<0.001). No significant condition effect was observed when comparing compression garments and placebo. However, countermovement jump performance showed a moderate improvement in the compression garments condition (ES = 0.578), and a small improvement in the placebo condition (ES = 0.427). No significant effect of the condition was observed for the other parameters.
CONCLUSION:
The results did not confirm our hypothesis, as no significant effect of condition was detected for performance evolution. However, the larger amplitude of increase observed in the compression garments condition for countermovement jump height shows that wearing compression garments following each training session may lead to better results compared to a placebo condition. Wearing compression garments had no detrimental effects on training adaptations.