Effects of Post-Activation Potentiation on Athletic Performance: A Mini-Review

Abstract

There is great interest in the functional significance of post activation potentiation (PAP). If applied correctly, techniques to induce PAP could enhance performance in high-intensity, short duration sports such as track sprinting events, jumping events, and even to a limited degree in sports such as Football. Defined as the increase in force of a plyometric exercise immediately following a similar heavy resistance exercise, PAP is normally applied using complex training, which includes performing a high-load weight training exercise before executing a plyometric exercise with similar biomechanical demands [2]. Heavy resistance exercise is normally low velocity, while movements such as vertical jumping involve high velocity [3,4]. However, more traditional methods separating the weight training and plyometric sessions could also induce PAP. It remains to be seen which method is more effective at eliciting a performance benefit, and how PAP could be best exploited to enhance sport performance.