Exploring the Rating of Perceived Exertion in the First Repetition (RPE-1) on Post-Activation Performance Enhancement...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Limited research exists on elastic resistance preconditioning for post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE).
• The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) has not been extensively studied as an intensity indicator for elastic resistance exercises to induce PAPE.
• This study investigates the use of RPE in elastic resistance push-press (ERPP) for PAPE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of elastic resistance push-press (ERPP) in inducing post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE).
• To assess the utility of the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) as a method for monitoring exercise intensity during ERPP for PAPE.
• To compare the effects of ERPP with a conventional warm-up on performance metrics.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four trained adults performed either a conventional warm-up or an ERPP warm-up.
• ERPP involved six repetitions at 85% of 1-Repetition Maximum (1RM) or an RPE of 6/10 on the first repetition (RPE-1).
• Performance was assessed via push-ups, countermovement jumps (CMJ), and 10m/20m sprints, with adjustments for individual performance variability.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in push-up mean propulsive velocity (20.41%) and sprint performance (10m: 8.07%, 20m: 6.23%) were observed in less strong participants following ERPP.
• A medium effect size improvement (d = 0.47) was noted in CMJ performance (7.93%) for less strong participants.
• Stronger participants showed no significant performance changes, indicating a differential response to ERPP.

Conclusions:

• Elastic resistance push-press (ERPP) effectively induces post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE), particularly in less strong individuals.
• RPE-1 is a viable tool for monitoring elastic resistance intensity to achieve PAPE.
• The findings suggest tailored warm-up strategies incorporating elastic resistance can benefit athletic performance.