Acute effects of plyometric conditioning activities on sprint performance in sports individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Plyometric conditioning activities are widely used in warm-ups to elicit post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE), yet their acute effects on sprint performance and the factors shaping these responses remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the acute effects of plyometric conditioning activities on sprint performance in sports individuals, and to identify key moderators of these effects, including conditioning type (single vs . complex protocols), rest-interval duration, and sprint test distance (≤30 m vs . >30 m). Methods A systematic search was conducted across four electronic databases. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed in accordance with the Cochrane guidelines. Outcome measures were analyzed using R software (version 4.3.0, R studio). A total of fourteen studies involving 198 participants(78.8% male) were included, comprising randomized controlled trials (RCTs), parallel-group trials, crossover trials, and pre–post-test experimental designs. All effect sizes were derived exclusively from within-condition pre–post comparisons. Results Plyometric conditioning activities elicited a moderate acute improvement in sprint performance [SMD = 0.51, 95% CI (0.24, 0.79), P < 0.001], with moderate heterogeneity (I²= 51%). Subgroup analyses showed that complex protocols tended to produce larger effects than single protocols, although heterogeneity was substantial for complex training (I²= 80%). Longer rest intervals were associated with significant performance gains [SMD = 0.42, 95% CI (0.16, 0.68), P = 0.002]. Sprint distance moderated the effect: benefits were significant for ≤30 m tests [SMD = 0.73, 95% CI (0.34, 1.13), P = 0.0003], but not for >30 m tests [SMD = 0.17, 95% CI (−0.15, 0.49), P = 0.31], with a significant subgroup difference (P = 0.03). Conclusion Plyometric conditioning activities were associated with acute changes in sprint performance, with statistically significant pooled effects observed in shorter sprint distances (≤30 m). Larger pooled effect sizes appeared in complex protocols and longer rest intervals, although responses varied across studies. These findings suggest that protocol characteristics and recovery duration may influence acute sprint performance outcomes.