Methods of Improving Male Athletes Reactive Strength Index: History
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Subjects: Sport Sciences
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João Rafael Pereira

The reactive strength index (RSI) describes the individual’s capability to quickly change from an eccentric muscular contraction to a concentric one and can be used to monitor, assess, and reduce the risk of athlete’s injury. Interventions with plyometric training routines have a relatively large, statistically significant overall effect in both adult and youth athletes. Thus, evidence supports implementing these types of interventions at an early age, in order to better cope with the physical demands of the various sports. Resistance training seems to have less impact on trained adult athletes; therefore, trained adult athletes should seek to have a more power-type training to improve the RSI.

  • strength
  • power
  • reactive strength
  • plyometric training
  • resistance training

1. Introduction

The reactive strength index (RSI) describes the individual’s capability to quickly change from an eccentric muscular contraction to a concentric one [1]. In other words, the RSI was created to assess the athlete’s reactive strength, and it was originally measured with the drop jump (DJ) test [1]. For this test, the athletes must perform a vertical jump as soon as they land on the ground from a specific height [1]. The hands can stay on the athletes’ hips throughout the test or not, as both methods have shown good levels of reliability [2]. This test should incorporate various drop heights to assess at what height the athlete can elevate more his centre of gravity, and it was already proven to be a reliable and valid test to measure the RSI [3]. The RSI can be calculated by dividing the jump height by the ground contact time, providing valuable information for coaches, regarding plyometric performance (i.e., jump height) and how each jump is performed (i.e., ground contact time) [4]. Jump height can be measured directly or can be derived from flight time with the following mathematical formula [5]: jump height (m) = (gravity × (flight time)2)/8, where gravity = 9.81 m/s and flight time is in seconds.
Most recently, with advancements in technology, more tests have been developed to measure the RSI, such as the countermovement (CMJ), tuck jump, squat jump, weighted CMJ, single-leg jump [6], 10/5 [7], single rebound jump [8], vertical rebound for 5 repetitions [9], vertical rebound for 15 repetitions [10], and vertical rebound for 10 s tests [11]. In those cases where there is no drop or rebound jump, the RSI is designated explicitly by reactive strength index modified (RSImod), since it is calculated by dividing the jump height by the time to take-off (time to produce force from the beginning of the eccentric muscular phase until the moment the athlete leaves the ground) [6].
To obtain these variables mentioned before (i.e., jump height, flight time, ground contact time, and time to take-off), three different methods can be used: (a) the flight time [12]; (b) the difference between the height of two marks during the jump [13]; and (c) the mathematical integration of the ground reaction force [14]. The first one requires the use of contact mats [12][15][16], photocell mats [13][15], or accelerometers [16][17]. The second method uses different devices to calculate displacement (i.e., linear position transducers) [18]. The third method is considered the best one, as its accuracy is extremely high if adequate sampling frequency methods are chosen and requires the use of one or two force plates [13][19].
The use of RSI is vital for high-performance sports professionals, as it can be used as a motivational tool, in a way that coaches can instantly deliver feedback to their athletes, according to their RSI value, in order to improve their physical performance [5]. Furthermore, both RSI and RSImod can be used as variables to potentially monitor athlete’s neuromuscular readiness [20]. Moreover, the RSI has been shown to have a strong relationship with change of direction speed, acceleration speed [21], and agility [22]. Additionally, maximal strength, especially relative to body mass, appears to have a very strong relationship with RSImod, indicating that stronger athletes tend to have better reactive strength [23].

2. Methods of Improving Male Athletes Reactive Strength Index

Given the importance that RSI may have in athletes’ performance, in particular, acceleration, change of direction, [21], and agility [22], it is vital to investigate effective strategies to improve it. Randomized studies with a control group reported significant overall intervention effects, regarding plyometric and resistance training programs, whereas combined training interventions did not have a significant overall effect. Randomized studies without a control group reported similar tendencies in youth athletes; however, plyometric, sprint, and resistance training programs showed a non-significant overall intervention effect in adult athletes. Compared to randomized studies alone, results from a combination of randomized and non-randomized did not differ. The results ranked by treatment effect indicate that resistance training is inferior, compared to both sprint and plyometric training methods, in enhancing the RSI in adult and youth athletes.

Plyometric training is characterized by a pre-activation (stretch) of the extensors’ muscles (e.g., quadriceps during a jump), followed by a shortening phase of these same extensors’ muscles, which represents the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) [24]. The duration of the SSC, usually measured by the ground contact time, can be categorized into slow (>250 milliseconds; CMJ, changes of direction) or fast (<250 milliseconds; DJ, sprints) [25]. Studies have shown that low correlations exist between these two types of SSC [26][27][28], and reactive strength training is commonly referred as “plyometrics”.
The effectiveness of plyometric training methods to improve jumping height ability have been shown [26]; since the RSI can be enhanced by improving this variable (by the formula: RSI = jump height/ground contact time), it is not surprising that plyometrics were successful in increasing the RSI in both adult and youth athletes. Nevertheless, one of the plyometric studies [29] reported that the intervention group declined in the RSI after the training intervention. However, it should be noted that this intervention group performed the plyometric training on unstable surfaces, which may be done with longer ground contact times, resulting in worse RSI values.
According to a motor learning perspective, exercises performed in a similar way to the target task produce an enhanced performance, since they generate a greater transfer, due to their specificity [30]. With this under consideration, both plyometric and sprint exercises are usually performed with a maximum acceleration during the triple-extension phase, and the same applies to the various tests used to quantify the RSI (i.e., vertical hops, CMJ, and DJ) [31]. Although some resistance training exercises might also have this triple-extension phase, the movement will always be slower because of the higher loads used, compared to plyometric and sprint training methods [32]. Additionally, sprint training methods enhance the SSC muscle function, by decreasing ground contact time and increasing flight time [33], because of the importance of the eccentric phase during sprinting to maximize the power output during the concentric phase [34]. Moreover, during the maximal velocity phase of a sprint, the ground contact time is minimal (~80–120 ms); therefore, there is no time to produce muscle force [35]. Thus, the force is only produced by the tendons, being that the tendon stiffness is a particularly important property to generate high forces in a truly short time (fast SSC) [36]. The ability to sprint and generate high forces in short periods of time is somehow related to the RSI, as it is calculated by the jump height, divided by the contact time. Consequently, sprints might reduce the denominator of the RSI formula (i.e., contact time), and subsequently, increase the RSI value. Furthermore, during the acceleration phase of a sprint, an athlete needs to produce more horizontal force to propel himself, while, on the maximal velocity phase, an athlete needs to produce more vertical force [35]. Thus, the force vector direction is the same during a vertical jump (used to access the RSI) as it is on the maximal velocity phase of a sprint. Consequently, sprint training (in particular, maximal velocity), might have some transfer to vertical jumps and, therefore, to better RSI performances, since this type of training may also enhance motor unit firing frequency, ultimately benefitting strength−power characteristics [37]. Nevertheless, only few studies that used sprint training to improve the RSI were found and more research is needed to corroborate this tendency.
Although resistance training induced improvements on RSI, youth athletes seem to take more advantage of this type of training, compared to adult athletes. In general, adult athletes are more skilled and have higher levels of strength, compared to youth athletes. Thus, after achieving specific strength standards, to improve their performance, adult athletes must shift towards a power-type training, while maintaining their strength levels [38]. In youth athletes, on the other hand, resistance training enhances motor control and coordination, which are the base for bigger future improvements in other physical qualities, such as velocity and power [38]. These neural changes that youth athletes experience during resistance training might explain why this training method produces better RSI improvements, compared to adult athletes.
Interventions with plyometric training routines have a relatively large, statistically significant overall effect in both adult and youth athletes. Thus, evidence supports implementing these types of interventions at an early age, in order to better cope with the physical demands of the various sports. Resistance training seems to have less impact on trained adult athletes; therefore, trained adult athletes should seek to have a more power-type training to improve the RSI. More research on specific resistance (e.g., strength vs. power type vs. eccentric overload) and plyometric (e.g., fast vs. short SSC) interventions are needed. Likewise, more research with sprint and combined training interventions is needed to understand the effects of these methods on the RSI.

References

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