Effect of repeated use of social media before training sessions on countermovement jumping and internal training load in high-level volleyball players

To verify the effect of repeated use of social media on smartphones immediately before countermovement jump (CMJ) and internal training load (ITL) training sessions in young male high-level volleyball athletes. 18 young international-level athletes participated in a randomized crossover study for a total of two weeks. The athletes are from the Brazilian under-19 team and were randomized into two experimental conditions, social media (SMA) and control (CON). SMA used social media for 30 minutes before training sessions for a week, while CON watched emotionally neutral videos. During this period, the ITL was analyzed using the session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) method. The CMJ was analyzed before, between, and after the two-week training. In the second week, the athletes reversed the experimental conditions. The CMJ was decreased after the training week (p = 0.04), but with no difference between the experimental conditions (p = 0.51). The ITL was not different between the experimental conditions after the analyzed training week (p = 0.95). Repeated use of social media on smartphones immediately before training sessions for a week was not enough to harm the CMJ, nor did it increase the ITL in young international-level volleyball athletes.