Effects of Post-Activation Performance Enhancement on Jump Performance in Elite Volleyball Players

Abstract

Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) is a widely described phenomenon, but the majority of studies tend to evaluate the response of various parameters of a conditioning activity (CA) on the same explosive exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PAPE response of the same CA—trap bar deadlift with an accommodating resistance—on jump height in two different jumping tests: squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). Study participants included twelve elite volleyball players (age 23 ± 2 years; body height, 194.7 ± 5.9 cm; body mass, 89.8 ± 7.9 kg; body fat, 14.7 ± 3.7%) experienced in resistance training (relative 1RM of a trap bar deadlift with accommodating resistance 1.92 ± 0.12 kg/body mass). Each participant performed tests under four conditions: two conditions for both SJ and CMJ—experimental with CA and control without CA. Jumps were performed at the baseline and 90 s after CA. The protocol did not increase jump power significantly in either SJ or CMJ. However, individual analysis showed that more participants responded positively to the CA in SJ (73%) than CMJ (50%), implying that PAPE response may depend on the similarity of the muscle-type contraction between CA and an explosive exercise.