• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Back Squats Just Prior Improve Vertical Jump Performance

Post-Activation Potentiation or PAP - what is it? It means if you squat heavy, you can jump higher. Science looks at how much weight it takes to activate this potential and how you can apply it, too.

Written by Jeff Barnett Last updated on December 25, 2012

You’ve read a lot about post-activation potentiation (PAP) on Breaking Muscle lately. PAP goes like this: lift something heavy, rest a little, perform above expectations on a light-weight activity. It’s been proven useful for sprinting and rowing.Today’s study examines whether PAP can be useful for vertical jump.

The study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, used 13 young adult men to test the effect of heavy back squats just prior to performing vertical jump. Researchers wanted to determine two things: How heavy should the back squat be loaded? And how much rest is optimal between the squats and the vertical jump? Participants got a short warmup and then performed back squats at 56%, 70%, or 93% of 1RM. Then participants were tested on vertical jump immediately after the back squat and again at 2, 4, 8, and 12 minutes after the squats.

The results? First, the lowest intensity squats at 56% 1RM had no effect at all – either immediately after the squats or after any amount of rest. Apparently, if you want the PAP effect then you must lift heavier. The 70% intensity squats definitely had an effect. Vertical jump peaked at 4 minutes after the squats and returned to normal after 8 minutes. The highest intensity squats at 93% 1RM had the greatest effect. Vertical jump peaked at 8 minutes and returned to normal by 12 minutes.

These results tell a pretty clear story. Higher intensity lifts give a greater PAP effect than lower intensity lifts. However, higher intensity lifts require a little longer for the effect to peak. In all cases, it appears that the PAP effect is active from about 4 to 10 minutes after the heavy lifts, and the effect is totally gone 12 minutes after the heavy lifts.

So if you want to perform your absolute best at some type of lightly loaded activity like sprinting, rowing, or jumping, then consider using PAP. Choose a lift that activates the same general muscle groups that you’ll be using during the unloaded activity. Lift a few reps at 70-90% of 1RM for the greatest effect. Rest at least 4 minutes, and then enjoy a new PR.

References:

1. Lowery, Ryan, et. al. The Effect of Potentiating Stimuli Intensity Under Varying Rest Periods on Vertical Jump Performance and Power. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26:12, 3320-3325, Dec 2012.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

About Jeff Barnett

Jeff Barnett is a CrossFit affiliate owner, mechanical engineer, and former Marine. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He holds specialty certifications as a CrossFit Mobility Trainer, CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer, CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer and is a USA Weightlifting Sports and Performance Coach. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA.

Jeff served as a Marine officer from 2003-2007 and deployed to Fallujah in 2006. After leaving the Marine Corps he co-founded CrossFit Impulse in 2009. His writing focuses on fitness, nutrition, and leadership. Jeff’s writing has appeared in publications as diverse as The New York Times and CrossFit Journal.

Jeff competed in the CrossFit Games Southeast Regionals in 2010 as an individual competitor and 2012 as a team competitor. If you don’t find him training hard or coaching athletes to PRs at CrossFit Impulse, then he’s probably wakeboarding, snowboarding, or eating meat off the bone.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

Reverse Complex Training for Strength and Size
PAP for Improved Sprint Performance: No Barbell Required
Post-Activation Potentiation Doesn’t Always Work
Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Strongman Legend Hafthor Björnsson Receives International Sports Hall of Fame Induction

Iain Valliere Believes the 212 Division Should No Longer Exist in Bodybuilding

Ryan Terry Diagrams His Ambitious 1,874-Calorie Mass-Building Protein Shake

Andrew Jacked’s Trainer Thinks His “Best” Will Come at 2023 Arnold Classic

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About