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ABSTRACT. Robbins D. W. Postactivation potentiation and its practical applicability: A brief review. J. Strength Cored. Res. 19(2):453-458. 2005.-It has been suggested that postactivation potentiation (PAP) may be manipulated to enhance both acute performance and chronic adaptation. PAP refers to the phenomenon by which acute muscle force output is enhanced as a result of contractile history. Evidence exists regarding the existence of PAP. However, the determination of methods to best manipulate and exploit PAP remains elusive. Studies to date would seem to indicate that the practical applicability of PAP in terms of enhancing athletic performance is limited.
KEY WORDS postactivation potentiation, complex training, performance, neuromuscular, contractile
INTRODUCTION
The contractile response of skeletal muscle is partially determined by its contractile history. Repetitive contractile stimulation results in an attenuation of performance due to fatigue. However, at the same time fatigue is realized, postactivation potentiation (PAP) is also elicited (21, 27). PAP refers to the phenomenon by which acute muscle force output is enhanced as a result of contractile history and is the premise upon which "complex training" is based. It has been postulated that explosive movements may be enhanced if preceded by heavy resistance exercise (3, 4, 10, 12, 13, 25, 29, 30). For example, the execution of a set of high-intensity squats prior to the performance of vertical or horizontal jumps enhances jumping performance. Loading of the neuromuscular system elicits an "excited" or "sensitive" state in which performance is enhanced (13).
Contractile activity produces both fatigue and PAP, and it is the balance between the two that determines whether the subsequent contractile response is enhanced, diminished, or unchanged (21). The poststimulus state depends on the timelines of PAP and fatigue. Both PAP and fatigue may increase immediately following contrac tile activity and then gradually return to prestimulus levels (27). The optimal recovery time or window is dependent on the decay rate of PAP and the dissipation of fatigue. That is, the coexistence of fatigue and PAP may result in a net potentiated state, a net attenuated state, or a constant state as compared to the prestimulus state. When discussing PAP in this review, the operational definition of PAP will be a net potentiated response. PAP and its mechanisms have been examined in a number of...