Introduction
While undergoing my own sprint training, I observed a recurring trend where my top performances consistently occurred after a day on which I engaged in a small amount of resisted sprint training. Over time, I came to understand that this phenomenon is referred to as Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP).
In its simplest terms, Post-Activation Potentiation is a method that involves performing a heavy-load exercise to stimulate the neuromuscular system, which then potentially enhances the power output of subsequent sports-specific movements. This technique is especially beneficial for athletes who require short bursts of high-intensity movements, such as sprinting, jumping, or throwing.
However, like any tool in the athletic performance toolbox, PAP must be used correctly to reap its benefits. It’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy, and understanding how to apply it effectively is crucial. It requires a careful balance, as the fatigue from the initial high-intensity exercise can counteract the benefits if not properly managed.
In this blog, I’ll will delve further into the science behind PAP, discuss its practical applications, and explore how it can be tailored to individual athletes to optimize performance, just like I was (unknowingly) using it to enhance my sprinting performance.
Understanding Post-Activation Potentiation
The Basics of PAP
Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP) might seem like a complex term, but at its core, it is a straightforward concept. It’s a physiological phenomenon where a maximal, or near-maximal, activity increases the performance of a subsequent activity. The key is in the sequence and timing of activities.
Essentially, the initial high-intensity activity ‘primes’ the muscles and the nervous system, enhancing their readiness to perform future activity with greater power and efficiency.
PAP in Action: An Example
Let’s illustrate this with a practical example.
Imagine an athlete performs a vertical jump, reaching a height of 50 cm. Then, the athlete does a 2×2 back squat at 87% of their one-repetition maximum (1RM), followed by a 10-minute rest.
After this rest period, the athlete repeats the vertical jump and now reaches a height of 51.5 cm, a 3% improvement. That improvement is the manifestation of PAP.
In this scenario, the back squat served as the ‘potentiating’ exercise, effectively priming the athlete’s muscles for the subsequent vertical jump. The increase in jump height is the result of enhanced neuromuscular activation, which translates into better performance.
Squatting + Vertical Jump is a common exercise pairing, as they are both ‘vertically-focussed’ compared to an exercise like broad jumps which are more horizontally-focussed.
The PAP Window: Balancing Potentiation and Fatigue
However, it’s crucial to understand that PAP is a balancing act between potentiation and fatigue. When using PAP, these two factors coexist, and they typically have opposing impacts on athletic performance.
The muscle performance may improve if potentiation dominates and fatigue is reduced. However, if fatigue is equal to, or greater than, the potentiating effect, muscle performance will remain unchanged or even decrease.
In the world of sports science, this balance is known as the ‘PAP window.’ It’s the period following the potentiation exercise where the athlete can potentially benefit from increased performance.
This window is not constant and can vary greatly depending on the individual, the type of exercises performed, and the rest periods between activities.
In the next sections, I’ll delve deeper into the practical applications of PAP, explore different PAP exercise pairings, and discuss how this technique can be tailored to individual athletes for maximum performance benefit.
This diagram shows the competing nature of PAP and Fatigue, with the red line representing performance. Two windows are labelled showing the moments where PAP outweighs Fatigue, and hence performance is potentiated. Note that this graph would be impacted by many factors such as the exercise, volume, intensity etc…
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Practical Application of PAP in Training
Common Exercise Pairings for PAP
The exercise pairings used to elicit PAP vary based on the sport and the athlete’s specific requirements. Here are a few common examples:
- Very heavy 1-3RM back squat followed by a body weight vertical jump.
- Very heavy 1-3RM bench press followed by a lighter medicine ball throw.
- Bounding-type plyometric activity followed by a sprint.
- Resisted sprint activity followed by an unresisted sprint.
While these examples provide a starting point, remember that the effectiveness of PAP is influenced by many variables, including the type of potentiating exercise, its intensity, the rest periods between activities, and the athlete’s individual characteristics.
Individual Differences in PAP Response
Because of the balance between potentiation and fatigue, the PAP response can be quite variable. Athletes respond differently to varying potentiating exercises, intensities, and rest periods. This means that a PAP protocol that works for one athlete may not work for another.
In other words, it’s not advisable to apply the same PAP stimulus and rest interval to all athletes within a training group.
Instead, a more effective approach is to individualize the PAP stimuli and rest periods for each athlete. This might be more time-consuming, but it can significantly improve the effectiveness of PAP training.
To individualize PAP protocols, coaches (or yourself) can perform a mini-research study with their athletes (or, again, yourself). This process involves testing different PAP protocols with each athlete to determine which one elicits the best performance improvement. This way, each athlete can have a PAP protocol tailored to their specific needs and capabilities.
PAP for Sprinters: A Focus on Resisted Sprinting
The Promise and Challenge of Resisted Sprinting for PAP
Among the many exercise pairings that can elicit a PAP response, one that has garnered significant interest for sprinters is the pairing of resisted sprint activity followed by an unresisted sprint. This approach aligns closely with the demands of sprinting, making it a potentially valuable tool for athletes in this sport.
Combining resisted and unresisted sprint training is sometimes also known as contrast training. You can read more about resisted sprinting and contrast training in my other article here.
One common issue with resisted sprint PAP literature is the method of load prescription. The studies often used an absolute load or a load related to body mass. However, neither of these methods accounts for individual variation in physical qualities such as maximum strength, peak power, rate of force development, or sprint speed.
Resisted Sled Sprints are a great exercise to use to capitalize on PAP effects to improve your athletic performance.
Incorporating Resisted Sprinting for PAP into your training
One aspect of PAP is not just the immediate performance enhancing effects felt in the short-term following a potentiation exercise, but also the enhanced performance felt quite a while after the potentiation exercise. Specifically, performance enhancement effects can be seen even 24-48 hours following the potentiation exercise/s.
Hence, if you’re an athlete with a race/game/match etc… coming up, you can use PAP to improve your performance by completing a potentiation exercise (such as resisted sprinting) 24-48 hours beforehand.
However, of course, be careful to tread the potentiation-fatigue line very carefully as we discussed earlier. Only a very small volume is required to achieve the PAP effect.
Conclusion
Post-activation potentiation (PAP) represents a promising strategy for enhancing athletic performance. By performing a maximal or near-maximal activity before a specific exercise, athletes can potentially improve their performance in the latter. Sprinters, in particular, can benefit from PAP through carefully paired exercises, like resisted sprints followed by unresisted sprints.
However, the effectiveness of PAP depends heavily on individual factors. Each athlete responds differently to potentiating exercises, intensities, and rest periods. As such, individualizing the PAP protocol, including load prescriptions and rest periods, is crucial for maximizing its benefits.
Athletes must also be mindful of the balance between potentiation and fatigue when implementing PAP. If fatigue outweighs the effects of potentiation, performance may not improve and could even decrease. Regular reassessments and adjustments to the PAP protocol are necessary to account for the evolving physical condition and abilities of athletes.
