View article

This study examined the post-activation potentiation (PAP) effects on squat jump (SJ) performance and on peak rate of force development (RFD _peak ) in preadolescent (10–12 y), adolescents (14–15 y) and adults (20–25 y) males and females. All participants performed a SJ with and without prior conditioning stimulus (PAP and control protocol, respectively), consisting of 3 × 3-second maximal isometric squats. Jump height and RFD _peak of the vertical ground reaction force during SJ were assessed before, and at 20 seconds and at 4 minutes following the conditioning stimulus. The results revealed a different pattern of age-effect on SJ performance within males and females. The RFD _peak significantly increased as a factor of age in both males and females ( P < .05). Increase in SJ performance after conditioning stimulus occurred only in men ( P …