title: [The effect of a warm-up protocol on the sit-and-reach test score in adolescent students].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sit-and-reach tests are often used in physical education classes for measurement of hamstring extensibility in students, without a standar protocol to perform it.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the effect of a warm-up protocol based on locomotion activities and stretching in the sit-and-reach scores in adolescent students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 47 teenagers students (17 boys and 30 girls) performed the sit-and-reach test before, immediately after, and 5 and 10 minutes after completing a structured warm-up. The warm-up consisted on a part of continuous running, dynamic locomotor and mobility activities as well as static stretching of lower limbs (quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, iliopsoas and gastrocnemius), with a total duration of 8 minutes. Between measurements after warm-up, the participants remained standing without performing any exercise and/or stretching.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After warm-up there was a significant improvement in the sit-and-reach score (+ 2.15 cm) (p < 0.001), being slightly higher at 5 and 10 minutes (+ 2.49 cm at 5 minutes and + 2.61 cm at 10 minutes) (p < 0.001 with respect to the pre-test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A warm-up protocol performed before the sit-and-reach test, comprised by locomotion, dynamic activities and stretching, improves significantly the distance achieved in this test.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Educación. Universidad de Murcia.. palopez@um.es.
authors.forename: María Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Díaz-Soler
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Traumatología del Deporte. Universidad Católica de Murcia, Murcia.. palopez@um.es.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vaquero-Cristóbal
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Terapéutica Médico-Quirúrgica. Universidad de Extremadura, España.. palopez@um.es.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Espejo-Antúnez
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Educación. Universidad de Murcia.. palopez@um.es.
authors.forename: Pedro Ángel
authors.initials: PÁ
authors.lastname: López-Miñarro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D013334:Students