Postactivation potentiation effects after heavy resistance exercise on running speed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the postactivation potentiation effect after a heavy resistance stimulus (HRS) on running speed (RS). Fifteen amateur team game players (basketball, volleyball, handball, and soccer players), ages 18-23 years running the 30-m dash and the intermediate phase of 0-10 and 0-30 m sprints, were used to evaluate RS. Resistance training consisted of 10 single repetitions at 90% of 1 repetition maximum. The running tests were performed 3 times--(a) 3 minutes prior the HRS, (b) 3 minutes after the HRS, and (c) 5 minutes after the HRS--in separated training sessions. Results showed that RS was not affected 3 minutes after the resistance training, but it increased for both selected running phases (0-10 and 0-30 m) 5 minutes after the HRS (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that heavy resistance exercise improves 10- and 30-m sprint performance when performed 5 minutes after the exercise bout.