Variable Resistance—An Efficient Method to Generate Muscle Potentiation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Álvaro Huerta Ojeda, Claudio Cifuentes Zapata, Guillermo Barahona-Fuentes (), María-Mercedes Yeomans-Cabrera and Luis Javier Chirosa-Ríos
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Álvaro Huerta Ojeda: Núcleo de Investigación en Salud, Actividad Física y Deporte ISAFYD, Universidad de Las Américas, Viña del Mar 2531098, Chile
Claudio Cifuentes Zapata: Núcleo de Investigación en Salud, Actividad Física y Deporte ISAFYD, Universidad de Las Américas, Viña del Mar 2531098, Chile
Guillermo Barahona-Fuentes: Núcleo de Investigación en Salud, Actividad Física y Deporte ISAFYD, Universidad de Las Américas, Viña del Mar 2531098, Chile
María-Mercedes Yeomans-Cabrera: Facultad de Salud y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Las Américas, Viña del Mar 2531098, Chile
Luis Javier Chirosa-Ríos: Strength & Conditioning Laboratory, CTS-642 Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: Variable resistance (VR) is a methodology that has shown good results in developing muscular strength and power. However, no updated information relates to the use of VR as an activation to trigger post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to review and qualitatively describe studies published between 2012 and 2022 that used VR to generate PAPE in muscle power-dominant sports. The secondary objective was to calculate the effect size of the different power outcomes reported in the selected studies. The search was designed following the PRISMA ® guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses and performed in the Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, SPORTDiscus, PubMed, and MEDLINE between 2012 and 2022. The methodological quality and risk of bias were evaluated with the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The main variables were the throwing speed, time in sprint tests, and jump height. The analysis was conducted with a pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) through a Hedges’ g test (95% CI). Twenty-two studies were included in the systematic review and ten in the meta-analysis, revealing a trivial effect for throwing speed (SMD = 0.06; CI = 95%: −0.23–0.35; p = 0.69), a small effect for the time in sprint tests (SMD = −0.37; CI = 95%: −0.72–−0.02; p = 0.04), and a moderate effect for jump height (SMD = 0.55; CI = 95%: 0.29–0.81; p ˂ 0.0001). All forms of VR used for neuromuscular activation effectively triggered PAPE. Specifically, the results showed that activation with VR generates performance increases in time, in sprint tests and jump height, and a trivial effect in throwing tests (speed and distance).

Keywords: variable resistance; post-activation performance enhancement; strength; power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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