Impacts of Traditional Warm-Up and Post-Activation Potentiation on Muscle Endurance During the Back Squat: Response of Blood Lactate, Perceived Effort, and Time Under Tension
Background: Warm-up strategies are essential for optimizing strength-training performance. Traditional warm-ups improve neuromuscular readiness, whereas post-activation potentiation (PAP) has been proposed to acutely enhance muscular output. This randomized crossover study compared the acute effects...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/10/2/188 |
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| Summary: | Background: Warm-up strategies are essential for optimizing strength-training performance. Traditional warm-ups improve neuromuscular readiness, whereas post-activation potentiation (PAP) has been proposed to acutely enhance muscular output. This randomized crossover study compared the acute effects of traditional and PAP-based warm-ups on local muscular endurance (LME) during free weight back squats in resistance-trained men. Methods: Twelve trained males (age: 41.3 ± 5.7 years; one repetition maximum squat: 129.3 ± 14.3 kg) completed three randomized squat sessions: mobility with LME (M + LME), traditional warm-up with LME (T + LME), and PAP with LME (PAP + LME). The sessions were spaced 48 h apart. Outcomes included the number of repetitions, blood lactate concentration, time under tension (TUT), perceived exertion through OMNI Resistance Exercise Scale (OMNI-RES), and pain perception through visual analogue scale (VAS). One-way ANOVA and partial eta-squared (η<sup>2</sup>p) were used for statistical analyses. Results: PAP + LME significantly increased the number of repetitions (15.63 ± 3.66) compared to both M + LME (12.38 ± 3.89) and T + LME (13.63 ± 3.82; <i>p</i> < 0.0001). Blood lactate levels were significantly higher in PAP + LME (8.98 ± 3.87 mmol/L) compared to M + LME (5.08 ± 0.97 mmol/L; <i>p</i> = 0.01). TUT was significantly shorter in both the PAP + LME and T + LME groups than in the M + LME group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). VAS scores were higher after PAP + LME (8.50 ± 0.45) than after M + LME (6.50 ± 1.20; <i>p</i> = 0.02), while OMNI-RES scores did not differ significantly between the protocols. Conclusions: Both traditional and PAP-based warm-ups improved squat LME compared with mobility alone. PAP elicited greater repetition performance and metabolic stress but also increased discomfort. Warm-up selection should align with training goals, balancing performance benefits and perceived fatigue. |
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| ISSN: | 2411-5142 |