The effectiveness of isometric conditioning activity (CA) is not well described in terms of the level of performance enhancement and the presence of a stretch and shortening cycle in subsequent explosive tasks. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a maximum isometric squat as the CA and a subsequent squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) height. A total of 31 semi-professional handball and soccer players were randomly assigned to two different conditions: (i) 3 sets of 3 repetitions (each lasting 3 s) of maximum isometric back squats (EXP), and (ii) no CA (CTRL). The jump height measurements were performed 5 min before the CA and approximately at the 4th and 8th minute following the completion of the CA. Due to the high inter-individual variability in the potentiation responses, the best value obtained post-CA was also analyzed. The SJ height significantly increased from baseline to the 8th minute post-CA (p = 0.004; ES = 0.31; Δ = +3.1 ± 5.0%) in the EXP condition. On the other hand, the CMJ height was significantly higher in the 4th (p = 0.001; ES = 0.23; Δ = +2.7 ± 3.7%) and 8th minute post-CA (p = 0.005; ES = 0.32; Δ = +3.6 ± 5.7%) in comparison to baseline during the EXP condition. Furthermore, SJ height significantly increased from baseline to the best time-point during the EXP (p < 0.001; ES = 0.47; Δ = +4.9 ± 4.9%) and CTRL (p = 0.038; ES = 0.21; Δ = +2.5 ± 5.8%) condition. Moreover, the CMJ height was significantly higher at the best time-points than at the baseline during EXP (p < 0.001; ES = 0.53; Δ = +5.6 ± 4.7%) and CTRL (p = 0.002; ES = 0.38; Δ = +3.1 ± 5.2%) condition. The findings from this study indicate that a maximum isometric squat, used as a CA, effectively improved SJ and CMJ height. This suggests that the presence or absence of a stretch and shortening cycle in both CA and post-CA tasks does not significantly impact the post-activation performance enhancement response.

Department of Medical Sciences The Wojciech Korfanty School of Economics 40 659 Katowice Poland

Department of Sport and Physical Education AGH University of Science and Technology 30 059 Krakow Poland

Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Charles University 162 52 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Sport Sciences The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice 40 065 Katowice Poland

Institute of Sports Sciences University of Physical Education in Krakow 31 571 Krakow Poland

Provita Zory Medical Center 44 240 Zory Poland

See more in PubMed

Seitz L.B., Haff G.G. Factors Modulating Post-Activation Potentiation of Jump, Sprint, Throw, and Upper-Body Ballistic Performances: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46:231–240. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0415-7. PubMed DOI

Wilson J.M., Duncan N.M., Marin P.J., Brown L.E., Loenneke J.P., Wilson S.M.C., Jo E., Lowery R.P., Ugrinowitsch C. Meta-Analysis of Postactivation Potentiation and Power: Effects of Conditioning Activity, Volume, Gender, Rest Periods, and Training Status. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2013;27:854–859. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825c2bdb. PubMed DOI

Krzysztofik M., Wilk M., Stastny P., Golas A. Post-Activation Performance Enhancement in the Bench Press Throw: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front. Physiol. 2021;11:598628. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.598628. PubMed DOI PMC

Wong V., Yamada Y., Bell Z.W., Spitz R.W., Viana R.B., Chatakondi R.N., Abe T., Loenneke J.P. Postactivation Performance Enhancement: Does Conditioning One Arm Augment Performance in the Other? Clin. Physiol. Funct. Imaging. 2020;40:407–414. doi: 10.1111/cpf.12659. PubMed DOI

Blazevich A.J., Babault N. Post-Activation Potentiation Versus Post-Activation Performance Enhancement in Humans: Historical Perspective, Underlying Mechanisms, and Current Issues. Front. Physiol. 2019;10:1359. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01359. PubMed DOI PMC

Krzysztofik M., Trybulski R., Trąbka B., Perenc D., Łuszcz K., Zajac A., Alexe D.I., Dobrescu T., Moraru C.E. The Impact of Resistance Exercise Range of Motion on the Magnitude of Upper-Body Post-Activation Performance Enhancement. BMC Sports Sci. Med. Rehabil. 2022;14:123. doi: 10.1186/s13102-022-00519-w. PubMed DOI PMC

Esformes J.I., Bampouras T.M. Effect of Back Squat Depth on Lower-Body Postactivation Potentiation. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2013;27:2997–3000. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31828d4465. PubMed DOI

Mangus B.C., Takahashi M., Mercer J.A., Holcomb W.R., McWhorter J.W., Sanchez R. Investigation of Vertical Jump Performance After Completing Heavy Squat Exercises. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2006;20:597. doi: 10.1519/R-18005.1. PubMed DOI

Dello Iacono A., Martone D., Padulo J. Acute Effects of Drop-Jump Protocols on Explosive Performances of Elite Handball Players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2016;30:3122–3133. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001393. PubMed DOI

Fitzpatrick D., Cimadoro G., Cleather D. The Magical Horizontal Force Muscle? A Preliminary Study Examining the “Force-Vector” Theory. Sports. 2019;7:30. doi: 10.3390/sports7020030. PubMed DOI PMC

McErlain-Naylor S.A., Beato M. Post Flywheel Squat Potentiation of Vertical and Horizontal Ground Reaction Force Parameters during Jumps and Changes of Direction. Sports. 2021;9:5. doi: 10.3390/sports9010005. PubMed DOI PMC

Krzysztofik M., Wilk M., Lockie R.G., Golas A., Zajac A., Bogdanis G.C. Postactivation Performance Enhancement of Concentric Bench Press Throw After Eccentric-Only Conditioning Exercise. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2022;36:2077–2081. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003802. PubMed DOI

Krzysztofik M., Wilk M., Golas A., Lockie R.G., Maszczyk A., Zajac A. Does Eccentric-Only and Concentric-Only Activation Increase Power Output? Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2020;52:484–489. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002131. PubMed DOI

Suchomel T.J., Sato K., DeWeese B.H., Ebben W.P., Stone M.H. Potentiation Effects of Half-Squats Performed in a Ballistic or Nonballistic Manner. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2016;30:1652–1660. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001251. PubMed DOI

Bogdanis G.C., Tsoukos A., Veligekas P., Tsolakis C., Terzis G. Effects of Muscle Action Type with Equal Impulse of Conditioning Activity on Postactivation Potentiation. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2014;28:2521–2528. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000444. PubMed DOI

O’Grady M.W., Young W.B., Talpey S.W., Behm D.G. Does the Warm-up Effect Subsequent Post Activation Performance Enhancement? J. Sport Exerc. Sci. 2021;5:302–309. doi: 10.36905/jses.2021.04.08. DOI

Gołaś A., Maszczyk A., Zajac A., Mikołajec K., Stastny P. Optimizing Post Activation Potentiation for Explosive Activities in Competitive Sports. J. Hum. Kinet. 2016;52:95–106. doi: 10.1515/hukin-2015-0197. PubMed DOI PMC

Chiu L.Z.F., Fry A.C., Weiss L.W., Schilling B.K., Brown L.E., Smith S.L. Postactivation Potentiation Response in Athletic and Recreationally Trained Individuals. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2003;17:671–677. doi: 10.1519/1533-4287(2003)0172.0.co;2. PubMed DOI

Rixon K.P., Lamont H.S., Bemben M.G. Influence of Type of Muscle Contraction, Gender, and Lifting Experience on Postactivation Potentiation Performance. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2007;21:500. doi: 10.1519/R-18855.1. PubMed DOI

Arabatzi F., Patikas D., Zafeiridis A., Giavroudis K., Kannas T., Gourgoulis V., Kotzamanidis C.M. The Post-Activation Potentiation Effect on Squat Jump Performance: Age and Sex Effect. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 2014;26:187–194. doi: 10.1123/pes.2013-0052. PubMed DOI

Nishioka T., Okada J. Influence of Strength Level on Performance Enhancement Using Resistance Priming. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2022;36:37–46. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004169. PubMed DOI PMC

Cronin J.B., McNair P.J., Marshall R.N. Magnitude and Decay of Stretch-Induced Enhancement of Power Output. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2001;84:575–581. doi: 10.1007/s004210100433. PubMed DOI

Ulrich G., Parstorfer M. Effects of Plyometric Versus Concentric and Eccentric Conditioning Contractions on Upper-Body Postactivation Potentiation. Int. J. Sports Physiol. Perform. 2017;12:736–741. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2016-0278. PubMed DOI

Glatthorn J.F., Gouge S., Nussbaumer S., Stauffacher S., Impellizzeri F.M., Maffiuletti N.A. Validity and Reliability of Optojump Photoelectric Cells for Estimating Vertical Jump Height. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2011;25:556–560. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181ccb18d. PubMed DOI

Petrigna L., Karsten B., Marcolin G., Paoli A., D’Antona G., Palma A., Bianco A. A Review of Countermovement and Squat Jump Testing Methods in the Context of Public Health Examination in Adolescence: Reliability and Feasibility of Current Testing Procedures. Front. Physiol. 2019;10:1384. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01384. PubMed DOI PMC

Boullosa D., Beato M., Dello Iacono A., Cuenca-Fernández F., Doma K., Schumann M., Zagatto A., Loturco I., Behm D.G. A New Taxonomy for Post-Activation Potentiation in Sport. Int. J. Sports Physiol. Perform. 2020;15:1197–1200. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2020-0350. PubMed DOI

Koo T.K., Li M.Y. A Guideline of Selecting and Reporting Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for Reliability Research. J. Chiropr. Med. 2016;15:155–163. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012. PubMed DOI PMC

Campbell M.J., Walters S.J.K., Machin D. Medical Statistics: A Textbook for the Health Sciences. 5th ed. John Wiley Blackwell; Hoboken, NJ, USA: 2021.

Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Elsevier Science; Burlington, VT, USA: 2013.

Bobbert M.F., Gerritsen K.G.M., Litjens M.C.A., Van Soest A.J. Why Is Countermovement Jump Height Greater than Squat Jump Height? Med. Amp Sci. Sports Amp Exerc. 1996;28:1402–1412. doi: 10.1097/00005768-199611000-00009. PubMed DOI

Turner A.N., Jeffreys I. The Stretch-Shortening Cycle: Proposed Mechanisms and Methods for Enhancement. Strength Cond. J. 2010;32:87–99. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181e928f9. DOI

Batista M.A., Roschel H., Barroso R., Ugrinowitsch C., Tricoli V. Influence of Strength Training Background on Postactivation Potentiation Response. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2011;25:2496–2502. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318200181b. PubMed DOI

Hirayama K. Acute Effects of an Ascending Intensity Squat Protocol on Vertical Jump Performance. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2014;28:1284–1288. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000259. PubMed DOI

Harat I., Clark N.W., Boffey D., Herring C.H., Goldstein E.R., Redd M.J., Wells A.J., Stout J.R., Fukuda D.H. Dynamic Post-Activation Potentiation Protocol Improves Rowing Performance in Experienced Female Rowers. J. Sports Sci. 2020;38:1615–1623. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1754110. PubMed DOI

Ah Sue R., Adams K., DeBeliso M. Optimal Timing for Post-Activation Potentiation in Women Collegiate Volleyball Players. Sports. 2016;4:27. doi: 10.3390/sports4020027. PubMed DOI PMC

Weber K.R., Brown L.E., Coburn J.W., Zinder S.M. Acute Effects of Heavy-Load Squats on Consecutive Squat Jump Performance. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2008;22:726–730. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181660899. PubMed DOI

Gołaś A., Wilk M., Stastny P., Maszczyk A., Pajerska K., Zając A. Optimizing Half Squat Postactivation Potential Load in Squat Jump Training for Eliciting Relative Maximal Power in Ski Jumpers. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2017;31:3010–3017. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001917. PubMed DOI

Folland J.P., Hawker K., Leach B., Little T., Jones D.A. Strength Training: Isometric Training at a Range of Joint Angles versus Dynamic Training. J. Sports Sci. 2005;23:817–824. doi: 10.1080/02640410400021783. PubMed DOI

Esformes J.I., Keenan M., Moody J., Bampouras T.M. Effect of Different Types of Conditioning Contraction on Upper Body Postactivation Potentiation. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2011;25:143–148. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181fef7f3. PubMed DOI

Tsoukos A., Brown L.E., Terzis G., Veligekas P., Bogdanis G.C. Potentiation of Bench Press Throw Performance Using a Heavy Load and Velocity-Based Repetition Control. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2020;35:S72–S79. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003633. PubMed DOI

Krzysztofik M., Wilk M., Filip A., Zmijewski P., Zajac A., Tufano J.J. Can Post-Activation Performance Enhancement (PAPE) Improve Resistance Training Volume during the Bench Press Exercise? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health. 2020;17:2554. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17072554. PubMed DOI PMC

Krzysztofik M., Kalinowski R., Trybulski R., Filip-Stachnik A., Stastny P. Enhancement of Countermovement Jump Performance Using a Heavy Load with Velocity-Loss Repetition Control in Female Volleyball Players. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health. 2021;18:11530. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111530. PubMed DOI PMC

Krzysztofik M., Wilk M. The Effects of Plyometric Conditioning on Post-Activation Bench Press Performance. J. Hum. Kinet. 2020;74:99–108. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2020-0017. PubMed DOI PMC

Domire Z.J., Challis J.H. The Influence of Squat Depth on Maximal Vertical Jump Performance. J. Sports Sci. 2007;25:193–200. doi: 10.1080/02640410600630647. PubMed DOI

Acute effects of isometric conditioning activity with different distribution contraction on countermovement jump performance in resistance trained participants

How repeatable is PAPE effect: the impact of in-season isometric squat activation on countermovement jump performance enhancement in national level soccer players

Acute effects of unilateral conditioning activity on unilateral and bilateral jumping performance and bilateral strength asymmetry

Effects of Eccentric Speed during Front Squat Conditioning Activity on Post-activation Performance Enhancement of Hip and Thigh Muscles

Acute Effects of Complex Conditioning Activities on Athletic Performance and Achilles Tendon Stiffness in Male Basketball Players