The effect of time-of-day on post-submaximal running jump enhancement in morning type, novice and experienced endurance runners

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of time of day (ToD) on jump enhancement in endurance runners with different training backgrounds and chronotypes. Twenty-one male runners were divided in novice (NOV, n = 9), and experienced (EXP, n = 12). Chronotypes, sleep quality and countermovement jump (CMJ) performances were assessed. CMJ height was measured before and after a 30-min submaximal (~70% HRR) running bout on a treadmill in the morning vs. evening. Post-running CMJ performance was recorded at 0, 3, 6 and 9 min of recovery. Most athletes (77.3%) were categorized as morning types. There was a significant interaction (p = 0.003) between ToD and CMJ performance timepoint for the whole sample. Moreover, CMJ height post warm-up was significantly higher in the evening vs. morning (33.47 ± 7.31 vs. 32.07 ± 6.87 cm, p = 0.037). However, post-running CMJ performance only improved at 0 and 3 min of recovery during morning bouts in EXP (p = 0.005), while NOV did not exhibit jump enhancement. We conclude that post warm-up jump performance is greater in the evening vs. morning. However, endurance runners with more training experience showed greater jump enhancement in the morning after a 30-min submaximal running bout.