Effect of post-activation potentiation induced by one, two or three half-squats on repeated sprint acceleration performance

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of different post-activation potentiation (PAP) protocols on initial-acceleration (0-10 m) and late-acceleration phases (10 to 30 m) within a repeated sprint ability (RSA) test. Methods: Twenty athletes (age: 20.8±1.2 years, height: 180.2±5.3 cm, body mass: 76.8±6.4 kg, % body fat: 10.9±2.8, and 3 repetition maximum [3-RM] of half-squats 152.9±14.8 kg) completed 4 testing sessions of RSA testing (7x30-m sprints, starting every 25s, with an active recovery inbetween). Five minutes before the RSA-testing, conditioning protocols were performed: I) one halfsquats at 90% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) [PAP1]; II) two half-squats at 90% of 1RM [PAP2]; III) three half-squats at 90% of 1RM [PAP3], and (IV) the control protocol [CON]: no effort. Each conditioning condition was applied in a counterbalanced, randomized order on separate days separated by a minimum of 72 hours’ rest. Results: ANOVA showed that PAP1 and PAP2 sessions were similar, and brought significantly improved results for: 0-30m and 0-10m sprints of the RSA-time (p<0.001, ES=large) vs the PAP3 and CON-conditions. For the late-acceleration phase of the RSA, the conditioning activity gave no effect (p>0.05, ES=small). Furthermore, magnitude-based inference revealed that both PAP1 and PAP2 protocols elicited changes >75% likelihood of exceeding the smallest worthwhile change (>99% likely) for mean sprint-time (RSAmean) and the percentage of sprint-decrement (RSAdec) in overall 0-30 m and 0-10 m of the RSA test. Conclusion: PAP1 and PAP2 exert a positive effect on the initial-acceleration phase of the RSA and could be considered in the preparation routine of repeated sprinting activities.