Acute effects of unilateral conditioning activity on unilateral and bilateral jumping performance and bilateral strength asymmetry
Language English Country England, Great Britain Media electronic
Document type Journal Article
PubMed
40148369
PubMed Central
PMC11950312
DOI
10.1038/s41598-025-88580-6
PII: 10.1038/s41598-025-88580-6
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- Isometric, Overcoming, Plyometric, Post-activation performance enhancement, Power output,
- MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Muscle, Skeletal physiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Resistance Training MeSH
- Plyometric Exercise MeSH
- Athletic Performance * physiology MeSH
- Muscle Strength * physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The majority of motor tasks in sports are executed unilaterally, however research on the impact of unilateral conditioning activities (CAs) on both unilateral and bilateral sports tasks remains limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of isometric and plyometric unilateral CAs on unilateral and bilateral jumping performance. The study involved fifteen resistance-trained males who participated in three experimental sessions: 3 sets of 3 s of maximum isometric single-leg quarter-squats or 3 sets of 5 single-leg tuck jumps as CAs, along with a control condition without CA. Measurements of single-leg jump (SLJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) were taken 5 min before, and at approximately the 3th, 6th and 9th minute after the CA. The analysis did not show any statistically significant interactions nor a main effect of condition or time (p > 0.05) for CMJ height and relative peak power. However, a main effect of time (p = 0.02) to increase non-dominant SLJ height from baseline to best post-CA time-point was found (+ 0.8 ± 2.5 cm; Cohen's d = 0.22). Neither isometric nor plyometric CAs significantly affected CMJ and SLJ performance. The observed increase in jump height for the non-dominant leg is likely due to motor learning rather than the effects of the applied CAs.
Department of Physical Culture Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport Gdańsk Poland
Institute of Sports Sciences University of Physical Culture in Krakow Kraków Poland
See more in PubMed
Boullosa, D. Post-activation performance enhancement strategies in sport: A brief review for practitioners. Hum. Mov.22, 101–109 (2021).
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.46, 231–240 (2016). PubMed
Cormier, P., Freitas, T. T., Rubio-Arias, J. Á. & Alcaraz, P. E. Complex and contrast training: Does strength and power training sequence affect performance-based adaptations in team sports? A systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Strength Cond. Res.34, 1461–1479 (2020). PubMed
Blazevich, A. J. & Babault, N. Post-activation potentiation versus post-activation performance enhancement in humans: Historical perspective, underlying mechanisms, and current issues. Front. Physiol.10, 1359 (2019). PubMed PMC
Brughelli, M., Cronin, J., Levin, G. & Chaouachi, A. Understanding change of direction ability in sport: A review of resistance training studies. Sports Med. Auckl. N.Z.38, 1045–1063 (2008). PubMed
Haugen, T., Seiler, S., Sandbakk, Ø. & Tønnessen, E. The training and development of elite sprint performance: An integration of scientific and best practice literature. Sports Med. Open5, 44 (2019). PubMed PMC
Krzysztofik, M. et al. Effects of unilateral conditioning activity on acute performance enhancement: A systematic review. J. Sports Sci. Med.21, 625–639. 10.52082/jssm.2022.625 (2022). PubMed PMC
Bishop, C. J., Tarrant, J., Jarvis, P. T. & Turner, A. N. Using the split squat to potentiate bilateral and unilateral jump performance. J. Strength Cond. Res.31, 2216–2222 (2017). PubMed
Mausehund, L., Skard, A. E. & Krosshaug, T. Muscle activation in unilateral barbell exercises: Implications for strength training and rehabilitation. J. Strength Cond. Res.33(Suppl 1), S85–S94 (2019). PubMed
Kalinowski, R. et al. Acute effects of combined isometric and plyometric conditioning activities on sports performance and tendon stiffness in female volleyball players. Front. Physiol.13, 1025839 (2022). PubMed PMC
Tillin, N., Pain, M. & Folland, J. Explosive force production during isometric squats correlates with athletic performance in rugby union players. J. Sports Sci.31(66), 76 (2012). PubMed
Allen, T. J., Jones, T., Tsay, A., Morgan, D. L. & Proske, U. Muscle damage produced by isometric contractions in human elbow flexors. J. Appl. Physiol.124, 388–399 (2018). PubMed
Kons, R. L. et al. Effects of plyometric training on physical performance: An umbrella review. Sports Med. Open9, 4 (2023). PubMed PMC
Dello Iacono, A., Martone, D. & Padulo, J. Acute effects of drop-jump protocols on explosive performances of elite handball players. J. Strength Cond. Res.30, 3122–3133 (2016). PubMed
Bettariga, F. et al. The effects of a unilateral strength and power training intervention on inter-limb asymmetry and physical performance in male amateur soccer players. J. Sci. Sport Exerc.5, 328–339 (2022).
Krzysztofik, M. et al. Acute effects of high-load vs. plyometric conditioning activity on jumping performance and the muscle-tendon mechanical properties. J. Strength Cond. Res.37, 1397–1403 (2023). PubMed
Grindem, H. et al. Single-legged hop tests as predictors of self-reported knee function in nonoperatively treated individuals with anterior cruciate ligament injury. Am. J. Sports Med.39, 2347–2354 (2011). PubMed PMC
Hoffman, J. R., Ratamess, N. A., Klatt, M., Faigenbaum, A. D. & Kang, J. Do bilateral power deficits influence direction-specific movement patterns?. Res. Sports Med.15, 125–132 (2007). PubMed
Bishop, C. et al. Jumping asymmetries are associated with speed, change of direction speed, and jump performance in elite academy soccer players. J. Strength Cond. Res.35, 1841–1847 (2021). PubMed
Andrews, S. K., Horodyski, J. M., MacLeod, D. A., Whitten, J. & Behm, D. G. The interaction of fatigue and potentiation following an acute bout of unilateral squats. J. Sports Sci. Med.15, 625–632 (2016). PubMed PMC
Wong, V. et al. Postactivation performance enhancement: Does conditioning one arm augment performance in the other?. Clin. Physiol. Funct. Imaging40, 407–414 (2020). PubMed
Power, G. M. J., Colwell, E., Saeterbakken, A. H., Drinkwater, E. J. & Behm, D. G. Lack of evidence for non-local muscle fatigue and performance enhancement in young adults. J. Sports Sci. Med.20, 339–348 (2021). PubMed PMC
O’grady, M. W. Does the warm-up effect subsequent post activation performance enhancement?. J. Sport Exerc. Sci.5, 302–309 (2021).
van Melick, N., Meddeler, B. M., Hoogeboom, T. J., Nijhuis-van der Sanden, M. W. G. & van Cingel, R. E. H. How to determine leg dominance: The agreement between self-reported and observed performance in healthy adults. PLoS ONE12, e0189876 (2017). PubMed PMC
Bishop, C., Read, P., Lake, J., Chavda, S. & Turner, A. Interlimb asymmetries: Understanding how to calculate differences from bilateral and unilateral tests. Strength Cond. J.40, 1–6 (2018).
Cohen, J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (Elsevier, 2013).
Spieszny, M., Trybulski, R., Biel, P., Zając, A. & Krzysztofik, M. Post-isometric back squat performance enhancement of squat and countermovement jump. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health19, 12720 (2022). PubMed PMC
Tsoukos, A., Bogdanis, G., Terzis, G. & Veligekas, P. Acute improvement of vertical jump performance after isometric squats depends on knee angle and vertical jumping ability. J. Strength Cond. Res.30, 1 (2016). PubMed
Dello Iacono, A. et al. Post-activation potentiation effects on vertical and horizontal explosive performances of young handball and basketball athletes. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fit.56, 1455–1464 (2016). PubMed
Krakauer, J., Hadjiosif, A., Xu, J., Wong, A. & Haith, A. Motor learning. Compr. Physiol.9, 613–663 (2019). PubMed
Promsri, A., Haid, T., Werner, I. & Federolf, P. Leg dominance effects on postural control when performing challenging balance exercises. Brain Sci.10, 128 (2020). PubMed PMC
Zając, A., Chalimoniuk, M., Maszczyk, A., Gołaś, A. & Lngfort, J. Central and peripheral fatigue during resistance exercise—A critical review. J. Hum. Kinet.49, 159–169 (2015). PubMed PMC
Bartolomei, S., Lanzoni, I. M., Fantozzi, S. & Cortesi, M. A comparison between non-localized post-activation performance enhancements following resistance exercise for the upper and the lower body. Appl. Sci.12, 1639 (2022).