The impact of post-activation potentiation on explosive vertical jump after intermittent time: a meta-analysis and systematic review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled intervention studies
PubMed 39060296 · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-67995-7
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 papers (327 total athletic participants) evaluated the effect of different rest intervals following post-activation potentiation (PAP) induction—predominantly using squats—on countermovement jump (CMJ) height and peak ground reaction force (GRF). Searches were conducted across CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar through June 2024. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and meta-analytic pooling was performed in RevMan 5.3 across four rest intervals: 1–3 min, 4 min, 5–8 min, and 10–24 min.
What was found
Intermittent rest intervals of 4 min (MD = -0.03 m, 95% CI: -0.04 to -0.01; Z = 2.71, P = 0.007) and 5–8 min (MD = -0.03 m, 95% CI: -0.04 to -0.01; Z = 3.07, P = 0.002) significantly improved vertical CMJ height. In contrast, intervals of 1–3 min (MD = -0.00, 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.01; Z = 0.38, P = 0.70) and 10–24 min (MD = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.00; Z = 1.43, P = 0.15) showed no significant effect. Numerical data for peak ground reaction force were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This review identifies a 4-to-8-minute recovery window as the optimal intermittent interval for eliciting post-activation potentiation benefits in vertical jump performance.
Limits
The total sample size was small (327 subjects across 21 studies, averaging ~15 participants per study). The abstract does not provide quantitative results for peak ground reaction force, nor does it specify participant sex, training background, or the exact loading parameters used.
Cited by
- supports Prior conditioning with a heavy load primes fast-twitch muscle fibers and enhances subsequent explosive movement velocity through post-activation potentiation.