If you are unfamiliar with complex training, it is a method where you complete a set of a heavy resistance exercise, then follow it with an explosive exercise involving a similar movement pattern (i.e. a heavy back squat followed immediately with a jump squat). Complex training takes advantage of the phenomenon known as post activation potentiation (PAP).

PAP has consistently shown to increase the peak force and rate of force development of muscle contractions during a subsequent explosive exercise as a result of the contractile history of the muscle fibers and nervous system stimulation involved in the preceding strength set^.4

While the classic implementation of complex training has shown benefit when seeking to improve explosiveness and power, these same principles, when used in reverse, will also help athletes and lifters push more weight, get stronger and build more muscle.

Enter, reverse complex training (RCT).

The Science

There are several mechanisms by which PAP is thought to work including the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains making actin and myosin more sensitive to Ca2+ as well as an increase in alpha-motorneuron excitability.² As Kevin Kneeld, the president and head physical preparation coach at Endeavor Sports Performance explained, “Essentially, ongoing or repeated stimulus of a neuromuscular pathway (think muscle contraction) results in any number of proposed consequences that prime that pathway for future force production.”³

Since both max force production (moving heavy resistance) and peak power production (moving explosively) rely on the high threshold motor units and fast twitch muscle fibers, we can reverse the order of classic complex training to induce greater subsequent strength. In doing so, you are giving yourself a greater capacity to move heavier weight. Heavier weight results in an overall higher output from the musculoskeletal system, promoting greater strength and more muscle.

Considerations of Reverse Complex Training

It was observed in one study that the force development following an explosive exercise was enhanced immediately after completing the explosive exercise, but the potentiation did not last for a long period of time.¹ With that, in order to take full advantage of the PAP you need to perform the strength set soon after the explosive exercise.

Also, you must make sure you induce adequate PAP without accumulating fatigue. Since power output is greatest at somewhere between 30% and 80% of your one rep max, you have some variability, but more specific resistances should be utilized.

For example, if you are going for pure strength and trying to hit a single, double, or triple during the strength set, use a higher percentage (50-70%) during the explosive exercise, as it is more specific. If you are going for muscle size and are going to perform reps within the 6-12 range for the strength set, you can utilize a lower percentage (30-50%) when performing the explosive exercise. In both cases, you do not want to feel fatigued after the explosive exercise, so adjust intensity accordingly. If in doubt, go with a lower percentage and continue to focus on moving the weight as quickly as possible.

The best approach is to perform a set of 2-4 reps of the explosive exercise (less reps the more resistance you use), take no more than 60 seconds rest, and then perform the strength exercise keeping the intention of trying to move the weight as quickly as possible.

Lastly, it is imperative that you pair exercises of a similar movement pattern to ensure you are taking full advantage of PAP from a nervous and musculoskeletal system perspective. By pairing like movement patterns, the specific impulse pathways, motor units, and muscle groups will be primed and ready to exert more force.

Sample Programming

Because RCT is extremely taxing and is best used with large compound movements, the RCT pairs should come first in your training after an adequate warm up, and only be used for the primary lifts.

Some example pairings include jump squat (bodyweight or light barbell) followed by a back squat, broad jump or kettlebell swing followed by a deadlift, medicine ball slam followed by a chin up, an explosive push up or medicine ball chest pass followed by a bench press and a dumbbell split squat jump followed by a rear foot elevated squat or lunge. These are just a few examples, and if equipment or space is an issue, you can simply complete the same strength exercise for both (i.e. a light and explosive back squat followed by a strength set of the same back squat).

What follows is a sample four-day upper and lower body program that takes advantage of RCT and is designed for max strength gain. For maximum hypertrophy adjust the reps to the 6-12 range for the strength exercises (1b, 2a, 2b).

Day 1 Lower

1a) Jump Squat 4 x 3

1b) Back Squat 4 x 4

2a) DB Reverse Lunge 3 x 6 / side

2b) Barbell Hip Thrust 3 x 6

3a) Plank Holds 2 x 30s

3b) Anti-Rotation Press 2 x 8 / side

Day 2 Upper

1a) Medicine Ball Slam 4 x 4

1b) Chin Up 4 x 4

2a) Alternating DB Press 3 x 6 / side

2b) 3 Point DB Row 3 x 6 / side

3a) ½ Kneeling Cable Lift 2 x 30s

3b) Face Pull 2 x 10

Day 2 Lower

1a) KB Swing 4 x 3

1b) Deadlift 4 x 4

2a) Front Squat 3 x 6

2b) Single Leg DB Deadlift 3 x 6 / side

3a) Side Plank Holds 2 x 30s

3b) ½ Kneeling Cable Chop 2 x 8 / side

Day 4 Upper

1a) Explosive Push Up 4 x 4

1b) Bench Press 4 x 4

2a) Weighted TRX Inverted Row 3 x 6

2b) Single Arm Overhead DB Press 3 x 6 / side

3a) Wide Stance Anti-Rotation Cable Chop 2 x 8 / side

3b) Prone Ys 2 x 10

The Wrap Up

When the basics are no longer producing the results athletes and lifters are seeking, advanced methods are warranted. Many quality programs have athletes perform explosive sets prior to and separate from the strength sets. This is logical, but does not provide the optimal potential to push heavier weight during your strength sets.

When using RCT you are priming your system to utilize heavier weight, as well as limiting the risk of going into your strength work fatigued. Try using the program above, or design your own with the guidelines covered for four to six weeks. Give RCT a go and experience explosive (pun intended) progress in both strength and size.

References:

1. Gilbert, G. and Lees, A., “Changes in the force development characteristics of muscle following repeated maximum force and power exercise,”Ergonomics, 48 (2005).

2. Hodgson, M., Docherty, D. and Robbins, D., “Post-activation potentiation: underlying physiology and implications for performance,” Sports Medicine, 35 (2005).

3. Neeld, K., “Post Activation Potentiation,” (2013) www.kevinneeld.com.

4. Tillin, N.A., and Bishop, D., “Factors modulating post-activation potentiation and its effect on performance of subsequent explosive activities,” Sports Medicine, 39 (2009).

Photos courtesy of CrossFit LA.

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Much of the science regarding PAP includes some sort of weight lifting element. For example, PAP works if you add a heavy version of a lift you’re about to do right before you perform the lift at lower weights. Researchers wondered if the effect held true if the performance variable was oriented toward non-weightlifting sports – in this case, a twenty-meter sprint.

The researchers examined the prevailing research to make sure their protocol was unique. They hoped to create a condition in which the potentiating exercise was even more accessible than weight lifting exercises like back squats. It’s not as if a back squat or similar exercise has equipment that is difficult to come by, but it does generally require a power rack, especially at the weights needed for PAP. For athletes out in the field with limited equipment, PAP isn’t always a practical option.

The researchers used depth jumps as the potentiating exercise. Previous research showed depth jumps work well as PAP for subsequent vertical leaps. Since there tends to be a strong correlation between sprinting and vertical leap ability, the researchers theorized that depth jumps might also be applicable for the twenty-meter sprint.

The researchers compared three different warm ups:

• A five-minute jog
• A five-minute jog plus dynamic stretches (see table below for detailed list of stretches)
• A five-minute jog, dynamic stretches, and three depth jumps

All of the warm ups produced progressively better performances on the twenty-meter sprint, but depth jumps won the day. The differences in performance after depth jumps were pretty substantial. For example, between the jogging warm up and the depth jump warm up, performance improved from 3.3 seconds to 3.1 on average. Consistent improvements like that could make or break an athlete’s career.

PAP works in numerous conditions, as this study demonstrated. Although there will be more studies involving various protocols to make things simpler for athletes, I’m mostly curious at this point if the PAP effect persists when applied consistently. If so, it should be a part of every athlete’s routine during every practice and game. Let’s stay tuned for that.

References:

1. Paul Byrne, et. al., “Acute Potentiating Effect of Depth Jumps on Sprint Performance,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(3), 2014.

Photo 1 courtesy of Shutterstock.

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In the above example, the PAP exercise was the back squat and the actual performance exercise was the same. But PAP can be effective even if the two exercises are different, so long as they work similar muscles. A PAP exercise that works the quads might also work to make your back squat stronger. But a more complex exercise like sprinting is a different animal altogether, and using PAP to improve exercises like these can be trickier. A study this month in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research covered just that topic.

There are numerous variables that contribute to the success (or lack thereof) of a PAP protocol. The similarity between the PAP exercise and the one following it is of major importance. The rest period between the two is another critical factor. The strength of the athlete could also influence the results, and the complexity of the second exercise probably influences the outcomes. Each of these factors were amongst the key issues looked at by the researchers in this study.

When I say that the complexity of the sprint might be a factor, I mean that it’s an exercise that depends so much on technique for fast times that it may simply not get a PAP effect, or benefit much from one. If an athlete were not an experienced sprinter, the different results based on technique training alone from one test to the next might be night and day, which could confuse the results of a PAP study. Indeed, prior research on the topic has been mixed, which was one reason this study was needed.

The researchers in this study used different types of PAP exercises to test on a group of athletes. To avoid the above variations between tests, the athletes chosen were experienced sprinters. Each of them performed different PAP exercises randomly on different days. For the PAP exercises, the athletes did an isometric (not moving) maximal knee extension hold, a maximal isometric back squat hold, and a regular full range of motion back squat using 90% of their max. On one of the days they did no PAP exercises at all. After each one of the PAP options, they sprinted for ten, twenty, or thirty meters.

The idea of the study was to find the differences in each of these PAP programs on sprinting performance. There turned out to be no differences for the group as a whole, although there were differences on the individual level. Not only was there no difference between the different PAP protocols, but there was also no difference on the day the athletes didn’t even use PAP.

There are many possible reasons for the lack of any PAP effect. Perhaps the rest period of four minutes between the PAP and the sprinting was too short. Or perhaps, although the athletes were experienced sprinters, they were not experienced squatters, which limited the potential benefits. Whatever the reason, there were no significant results.

This study still provides good information, though. A lack of results is itself a result. We now know that each athlete should be tested individually for a PAP effect, but on average, when it comes to sprinting, standard PAP methods seem to be ineffective with a short rest.

References:

1. Julian Lin, et. al., “Effects of Isometric and Dynamic Postactivation Potentiation Protocols on Maximal Sprint Performance,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(10), 2013.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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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.

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