Post-activation performance enhancement effect of two tuck-jump protocols with different volumes on 15-s vertical jump performance

Post-activation performance enhancement is a principle that suggests that an acute bout of high intensity voluntary exercise will be followed by an improvement in strength, power, jump and speed of a subsequent task. This study aimed to investigate changes in 15 s repetitive vertical jump performance after one set (1 x 10 repetitions) or three sets (3 x 10 repetitions) of tuck jumps conditioning activity. Twelve male (age 21.6 ± 1.5 years) trained volleyball players participated in this study. The participants performed three experimental sessions with a randomized, counterbalanced, and crossover research design: a-) single set of tuck jump (SJ); b-) multiset of tuck jump (MJ); and c-) control (CON). Each experimental session was composed of a standard warm-up, conditioning activity, 5 minutes of rest, and then 15 s vertical jump test, respectively. Peak (p=0.029;) and average (p=0.018) jump height, peak (p=0.029) and average (p = 0.007) power output were significantly greater in SJ than CON. No significant differences were observed in the fatigue index between conditions (p=0.657). Overall, there were no significant differences in any parameters between MJ and CON and between SJ and MJ (p>0.05). These results showed that a SJ could improve repetitive vertical jump performance in trained male volleyball players, but caution should be given while using MJ before trainings or matches including activities with repetitive jumping.