Sustainability of responsiveness to post-activation performance enhancement throughout a session comprising multiple conditioning acitivity cycles

• Grant number: 25/15792-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Coelho Rabello de Lima
• Grantee: Thiago Funari Poliselli
• Host Institution: Escola de Educação Física e Esporte de Ribeirão Preto (EEFERP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/15796-7 - Investigation of the parameters modulating responsiveness to post-activation performance enhancement, AP.R

Abstract

Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) has been widely explored as a strategy to enhance explosive performance in training sessions, particularly in contrast training, which alternates high-load exercises with ballistic efforts. However, although there is evidence supporting the effectiveness of PAPE in isolated protocols, few studies have investigated the sustainability of responsiveness throughout sessions involving multiple conditioning activity (CA) cycles, as commonly observed in practical settings. Therefore, the main objective of this experiment is to investigate whether responsiveness to PAPE is sustained during a session comprising four CA cycles, totalling approximately one hour in duration. The hypothesis is that the magnitude of PAPE will be progressively impaired with each new CA cycle, suggesting a potential temporal or volume-related limitation to the effective application of the strategy. The study will include adult, trained, males and females who are PAPE responders. A within-subjects repeated-measures design will be used, with two experimental conditions: experimental session (EXP) and control session (CON). After familiarisation, 1RM testing, and assessment of measurement reproducibility, participants will complete the EXP and CON sessions in a randomised order, with a minimum interval of 48 hours between them. In the EXP session, participants will perform a protocol consisting of four CA cycles (three sets of squats at 87% of 1RM), each followed by countermovement jump (CMJ) assessments at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 minutes post-activation. At minute 12, a new CA cycle will begin, repeating the process until all four cycles are completed. In the CON session, the CA protocols will be replaced by seated rest periods, while all other procedures will remain identical, allowing the isolation of CA effects on performance outcomes. Comparisons between sessions and over time will be conducted using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA, with Bonferroni post hoc adjustments applied when appropriate. Pairwise comparisons will be performed in the case of significant interactions. Effect sizes will be calculated using Cohen's d and classified according to standard magnitude thresholds. The level of significance will be set at p < 0.05. (AU)