Effects of Postactivation Potentiation enhacement on sprint and change-of-direction performance in athletes: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Training interventions like Resisted Sled Training, Complex Training, Plyometric training, and recently, Postactivation Potentiation Enhancement (PAPE) protocols are being employed by sportsmen for performance enhancement. Currently, there is no conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of the PAPE protocols and methods to integrate them into the training. The current systematic review aims to critically summarize the current evidence on PAPE protocols' effect on Sprint and Change of Direction (COD) performance in Athletes and study the influence of the Type of PAPE protocols, Recovery duration, Volumes, and loads of PAPE protocols.

METHODS

A systematic computerized literature search was performed from December 2020 to June 2022 on the databases: MEDLINE (assessed by PubMed), CENTRAL (Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials), PeDro, and Science direct. The major criteria for inclusion were Athletes (Population) who performed PAPE protocol as Intervention before Sprint and/or COD assessment tests. The studies were individually assessed for Risk of Bias using EPHPP (Effective Public Health Practice Project) Tool.

RESULTS

A total of sixteen studies were included. For Linear sprint, nine studies reported a significant PAPE effect whereas, six studies reported insignificant effects. Whereas, for COD performance, two studies reported insignificant results and one study reported significant CODS enhancements The recovery duration ranged from 15 s up to 16 min.

CONCLUSION

PAPE protocols can be incorporated provided the recovery duration is of Moderate duration (3-8mins) or Individualized durations, using multiple sets (2-6), moderate-high loads (>85% 1-RM), type of protocol is Barbell Hip Thrust, Plyometrics or Unilateral biomechanically similar exercises to Running.

Acute effects of prior conditioning activity on change of direction performance. A systematic review and meta-analysis

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the acute effects of prior conditioning activity (CA) on change of direction (COD) performance. Eligible studies, involving healthy participants undergoing acute CA with at least one measure of COD performance, were analysed across diverse databases. A total of 34 studies were included for systematic review with 19 studies included for the meta-analysis. The intervention condition resulted in significantly faster (Z = 4.39; standard mean difference [SMD] = 0.49; p < 0.05) COD performance compared with the control condition. Both unloaded and light loaded CA resulted in significantly greater (SMD = 0.58-0.59) COD performance compared to the control condition. Moreover, heavy loaded CA demonstrated a significant but small (SMD = 0.24) improvement in COD performance compared to the control condition. Age and study design had no effect on the overall meta-analysis outcomes. Both males and females exhibited similar moderate effects with CA but only males demonstrated significantly greater COD performance compared to control conditions. Our findings indicate that a range of CA protocols can acutely improve COD performance with unloaded and light-loaded CA resulting in the greatest performance enhancements. These findings will assist practitioners with the design and implementation of appropriate acute CA to improve COD performance.

Postactivation Potentiation Effect of Heavy Sled Towing on Subsequent Sprints

ABSTRACT

Williams, JJ, Heron, R, Spradley, B, and Saracino, P. Postactivation potentiation effect of heavy sled towing on subsequent sprints. J Strength Cond Res 35(5): 1229-1233, 2021-Recent research supports heavy sled towing as a tool used to improve subsequent sprints as part of postactivation potentiation (PAP) protocols. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of heavy sled towing using a velocity decrement (Vdec) on subsequent unloaded sprinting in high school football (soccer) athletes sprinting on artificial turf. A sled load equating to a 40-50% Vdec range was used (66-70% body mass). Fifteen (n = 9 boys and n = 6 girls) high school football players volunteered for this study. The sled-towing intervention consisted of a dynamic warm-up, 3 submaximal sprint efforts (50, 75, and 95%), and 3 maximum speed 15-m sled sprints, separated by 2-minute rests, of which the fastest time was recorded for analysis. Peak preintervention 15-m baseline sprint times were compared with peak post sled-towing 15-m sprint times using a paired samples t-test. Thirteen of 15 athletes ran faster peak post sled-towing sprint times than peak preintervention baseline sprint times (9 boys and 4 girls). On average, peak post sled-towing sprint times (2.60 ± 0.10 seconds) were 0.10 seconds faster (p < 0.0001; Cohen's d = 0.92) than peak preintervention baseline sprint times (2.70 ± 0.09 seconds). This research established that sled-towing protocols using loads corresponding to Vdec of 40-50% significantly improved subsequent sprints in high school football (soccer) athletes running on artificial turf.

Effect of 10 Weeks of Complex Training on Speed and Power in Academy Soccer Players

PURPOSE

This study investigated the effects of complex-paired and reverse-contrast 10-week training programs on sprint, power, and change-of-direction speed performance of elite academy soccer players.

METHODS

Seventeen elite academy soccer players each performed assessments of the 10- and 40-m sprint, Abalakov vertical jump, seated medicine-ball throw, and Arrowhead change-of-direction speed test, both prior to and after a twice-weekly 10-week resistance-training program. The participants were randomly split into 2 groups; the complex-paired training group (CPT, n = 9) performed 4 different complex pairs (heavy-resistance exercises paired with plyometric and Olympic lifting-style exercises), with each pair being interspersed with an 8-minute recovery period in line with recommended guidelines. The comparative group-the reverse-contrast training group (RCT, n = 8)-performed the same exercises; however, all of the plyometric and Olympic lifting exercises preceded the heavy-resistance exercises.

RESULTS

Both groups achieved postintervention increases in the seated medicine-ball throw test (CPT +1.8% and RCT +1.6%, P < .05), whereas VJ performance improved only in the CPT group (+3.4%, P = .003). No significant improvements were observed in either the 10- and the 40-m sprint or Arrowhead change-of-direction speed test for either group.

CONCLUSIONS

The CPT experienced a small but significant within-group improvement in jump performance. However, no significant between-groups differences were observed in any of the testing variables postintervention. Subsequently, for academy soccer athletes, the CPT approach did not produce meaningful benefits to performance compared with a more time-efficient reverse-contrast approach.

Post-activation Potentiation: Effects of Different Conditioning Intensities on Measures of Physical Fitness in Male Young Professional Soccer Players

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different warm-up conditioning intensities on the physical fitness (i.e., post-activation potentiation -PAP), of professional male field soccer players. Athletes (n = 10; age: 21.6 ± 3.2 years) completed a control warm-up and warm-ups aimed to induce PAP, in random and counterbalanced order. After control and experimental warm-up sessions participants completed a triple hop test with the dominant (H3Jd) and a non-dominant (H3Jnd) leg, a squat jump (SJ), a countermovement jump (CMJ), a change of direction ability (COD) test, a repeated sprint with a COD (RSCOD) test and a linear 30-m sprint test (S-30). The control warm-up (WU) protocol was designed according to athlete's regular warm-up practice. The experimental warm-ups included the same exercises as the WU, with addition of one set of half-back squats for 10 repetitions at 60%, 5 repetitions at 80%, and 1 repetition at 100% of 1RM (60%-1RM, 80%-1RM and 100%-1RM, respectively.) Threshold values for Cohen's effect sizes (ES) were calculated and used for group's comparison. Likely to most likely improvements were shown in H3Jd (ES = 0.52), H3Jnd (ES = 0.51), COD (ES = 0.38), fasted sprint (RSCODb) (ES = 0.58) and the total time of all sprints (RSCODt) (ES = 0.99) only after the 80%-1RM protocol in comparison to the WU. Conversely, 100%-1RM and 60%-1RM protocols, compared to WU, induced possibly to most likely poorer performance in all jumps, COD and RSCODb (ES = -0.07 to -1.03 and ES = -0.48 to -0.91, respectively). Possibly to most likely improvements were shown in all jumps, COD, RSCODb and RSCODt after the 80%-1RM warm-up protocol in comparison to the 100%-1RM and 60%-1RM warm-up protocols (ES = 0.35 to 2.15 and ES = 0.61 to 1.46, respectively). A moderate warm-up intensity (i.e., 80%-1RM back squat) may induce greater PAP, including improvements in jumping, repeated and non-repeated change of direction speed in male soccer players.