Warm-Up and Fatigue in Skill Acquisition and Performance

Abstract

Two experiments examined the effects of preliminary exercise on performance and learning of the Fitts’ reciprocal tapping task. In the first experiment preliminary exercise was performed with either the preferred or nonpreferred arm. The tapping task was completed with the preferred arm by both groups. Low levels of preliminary exercise resulted in heightened performance for both groups, but higher levels resulted in a decrement for the group using the preferred arm. An arousal-plus-fatigue hypothesis can explain the results. A subsequent post-test without preliminary exercise showed no difference between the groups, indicating an effect on performance and not learning. In the second experiment preliminary exercise was provided by treadmill running to exhaustion. Again, a facilitatory effect of exercise was demonstrated on tapping performance even after exhaustive levels of running.