Effects of a Sprint Post-Activation Performance Enhancement Stimulus on Discus Throw Performance in Collegiate...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Athletic Performance
• Biomechanics

Background:

• The effectiveness of post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) strategies, such as sprinting, in improving throwing events like the discus is not well-established.
• Collegiate discus throwers often utilize dynamic warm-ups, but the added benefit of a sprinting potentiating stimulus remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether a dynamic warm-up combined with a multi-set sprinting potentiating stimulus (DyWU+SPR) enhances discus throwing performance compared to a dynamic warm-up alone (DyWU).
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for coaches and athletes regarding the use of sprinting PAPE stimuli in discus warm-up protocols.

Main Methods:

• Twelve NCAA Division I thrower athletes participated in a randomized crossover study.
• Athletes completed two sessions: one with DyWU and another with DyWU+SPR, each followed by three maximal discus throws.
• Performance outcomes were analyzed using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in discus throw distances were observed between the DyWU and DyWU+SPR conditions at any measured time point (8, 11, 14 minutes) or for the best throw attempt.
• Effect sizes (d) for all comparisons were trivial, indicating minimal practical differences.
• Statistical analysis (p > 0.05) confirmed the lack of a performance enhancement effect from the added sprinting stimulus.

Conclusions:

• The inclusion of multiple sets of a sprinting post-activation performance enhancement stimulus does not appear to enhance discus throwing performance in NCAA Division I athletes when added to a standard dynamic warm-up.
• Current findings do not support the routine use of sprinting PAPE stimuli beyond a dynamic warm-up for improving discus throw performance in this population.
• Coaches and athletes should consider these results when designing warm-up strategies, as the added complexity of sprinting PAPE may not yield performance benefits for discus throwers.