When i buy new batteries, if they are already pre-charged, i verify they still have charge in them. if they do and it's a good charge, then i just use them. if they are not LSD, then i charge first. that's all. the only thing i do that would be considered "break in" is by just using them like i normally would.
like i bought some 2300 mAh energizers for a spotlight. they had charge still in them cause they were precharged. i just stuck them into the light and used it. when they got run down, i just charged them, then put em back into the light. then when they went down again, just charged and put back in. i've never done any of the fancy break in things. i've got some cheap ol 2000 mAh eveready's from 2008 that i bought and have just used em, with nothing fancy, and they are still running good. matter of fact, i have them running right now in a handheld police scanner. but since they are not LSD batteries, when i first got them, i charged em first. when i got my new set of eneloops about a month ago, i just stuck them into the device and used em.