Unilateral and Bilateral Post-Activation Performance Enhancement on Jump Performance and Agility.

Alejandro Escobar Hincapié,Carlos Alberto Agudelo Velásquez,Mariluz Ortiz Uribe,Andrés Rojas Jaramillo,Camilo Andrés García Torres

doi:10.3390/ijerph181910154

Alejandro Escobar Hincapié, Carlos Alberto Agudelo Velásquez + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910154

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Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effects of the post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) of two different types of warm-ups, unilateral and bilateral, on the performance in vertical jumping and agility of healthy subjects with strength training experience. In the study, 17 subjects (12 men and 5 women) performed two different PAPE protocols: unilateral squat (UT) and bilateral squat (BT). The height of the subjects’ countermovement jump (CMJ) and the subjects’ time to perform the T-agility test (TAT) were measured before and after executing the PAPE warm-up. The squats were performed at a velocity of 0.59 m·s−1 with three sets of three repetitions, with a 3-min rest between sets and a 5-min rest after both uni- and bilateral PAPE warm-ups before taking the tests again. For statistical analysis, we applied ANOVA and calculated the effect size. The results showed that the PAPE for each case decreased the CMJ height but generated significant improvements in the total time taken for the T-agility test (p < 0.01); however, in both cases, the effect sizes were trivial. In conclusion, it is possible to observe that the PAPE, performed both unilaterally and bilaterally, negatively affects the performance in the vertical jump, showing moderate effect sizes. However, both PAPE protocols show performance benefits in agility tests, with a large effect size for the unilateral protocol and moderate for the bilateral protocol.

Highlights

This study was designed to compare two types of warm-ups with high intensities by replacing the measurement of intensity with the execution velocity and not the percentage of 1 repetition maximum (RM). This allowed us to observe the warm-ups’ effects on performance by measuring behavior in the vertical jump, which was evaluated through the countermovement jump (CMJ), and on agility through the T-agility test (TAT)
A quantitative cross-sectional experimental study was conducted with the aim of determining the effects of post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE)—with the squat exercise performed unilaterally and bilaterally and programming the loads based on the execution velocity—on the performance of a countermovement jump (CMJ) and on agility, as measured by the TAT
The main findings of this research were that PAPE yielded improvements in the agility test but reduced CMJ performance

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Strength training plays a very important role in sports performance. Strength has been defined as the ability to produce voluntary muscle tension to achieve a goal [1]. In terms of strength measurement, the repetition maximum (RM) is a key tool when dosing training loads and measuring performance [2].

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