Acute Effects of a Percussive Massage Treatment on Movement Velocity during Resistance Training

The aim of this research was to verify whether the application of percussion therapy during inter-set rest periods increases the number of repetitions performed before reaching a 30% velocity loss threshold during a bench press exercise. Methods: Twenty-four male university students participated in this study (24.3 ± 1.3 years; 77.5 ± 8.3 kg; 177.0 ± 5.6 cm; 24.7 ± 2.6 kg∙m^-2). Participants were randomized into two groups: a percussion therapy group (PTG) and a control group (CG). They performed 4 sets at 70% of a one-repetition maximum before reaching a 30% velocity loss threshold with an inter-set recovery of 3 min. Results: The PTG performed a greater total number of repetitions compared to the CG (44.6 ± 4.8 vs. 39.5 ± 6.8; p = 0.047; ES = 0.867). No differences were observed for the different movement velocity variables and fatigue control (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Percussion therapy is an effective method to delay the loss of movement velocity in the bench press exercise.