IS THERE A POST ACTIVATION POTENTIATION EFFECT ON SUBMAXIMAL BENCH AND HEX-BAR DEADLIFT TESTS?

Post Activation Potentiation (PAP) is an acute enhancement of muscle function following a conditioning activity of high intensity. The majority of research regarding PAP has focused on the effects on maximal intensity movements, such as a vertical jump. There is limited information regarding the effects of PAP with the intent of improving submaximal muscular endurance performance. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if a PAP warm-up (conditioning activity) would have a positive effect on the maximum number of repetitions one is able to successfully perform in the hex-bar deadlift (HDL) and barbell bench press (BP) at a submaximal intensity. It was hypothesized that the addition of a PAP conditioning activity to a dynamic warm up (DYN WU + PAP) would result in a greater number of repetitions performed compared to a DYN WU. Methods: Utilizing a repeated measures crossover design, eleven female NCAA track athletes participated in the six-session study. During the first session, participants were randomly separated into one of two groups and a 1-3 repetition maximum (1-3RM) for the deadlift (DL) was determined. During the second session, researchers determined the participant’s 1-3RM for the bench press (BP). During sessions three through six, participants performed either a DYN WU or DYN WU + PAP prior to performing three sets of maximal repetitions of either the DL or BP at 65% 1-RM. All participants performed all trials in random order. The total number repetitions at 65% 1-RM over the three sets was compared between conditions (DYN WU or DYN WU + PAP) with a dependent t-test for both the BP and DL. Results: DYN WU+ PAP did not appear to have a significant or practical effect on the number of repetitions able to be performed when compared to DYN WU for BP (47.9±4.8 vs. 47.9±5.0) or DL (61.8±11.0 vs. 64.5±13.5), respectively. Conclusion: Within the parameters of this study, a DYN WU + PAP provided no improvement in submaximal performance in the BP or DL