Joint-specific Postactivation Potentiation Enhances Serve Velocity in Young Tennis Players.

ABSTRACT: Baiget, E, Colomar, J, and Corbi, F. Joint-specific postactivation potentiation enhances serve velocity in young tennis players. J Strength Cond Res 37(4): 840-847, 2023-This study aimed (a) to analyze the influence of sport-specific postactivation potentiation (PAP) on serve velocity (SV) and serve accuracy (SA) in young tennis players, (b) to compare the PAP effects of 2 different conditioning activities (CA) on SV and SA, and (c) to explore if changes in SV would be related to tennis player's neuromuscular performance. Sixteen competition young tennis players performed 3 testing sessions in a randomized order. In the control session, subjects performed a warm-up protocol followed by the SV and SA tests. The experimental sessions involved 1 (shoulder internal rotation [SHIR]) or 2 (SHIR + shoulder flexion [SHF]) repetitions of a 5 second maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) executed before the SV and SA tests. Results showed a moderate significant (p = 0.037) difference between SV at control session and following the SHIR + SHF CA protocol at minute 0 (3.4 ± 4.6%; 4.6 km·h-1; ES = 0.711). Serve accuracy did not differ between CA protocols and control session at any time point. No significant relations were found between force-time curve parameters and SV percent changes at different recovery times. Performing 2, short (5 seconds), upper-limb, tennis joint-specific MVIC seems to enhance SV without negatively affecting SA in young competition tennis players. On the contrary, performing one MVIC does not seem to obtain the same effects. Moreover, tennis players with improved neuromuscular performance do not seem to exhibit a better predisposition to postactivation performance enhancement.

Five-Minute Power-Based Test to Predict Maximal Oxygen Consumption in Road Cycling.

PURPOSE: To examine the ability of a multivariate model to predict maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) using performance data from a 5-minute maximal test (5MT). METHODS: Forty-six road cyclists (age 38 [9] y, height 177 [9] cm, weight 71.4 [8.6] kg, VO2max 61.13 [9.05] mL/kg/min) completed a graded exercise test to assess VO2max and power output. After a 72-hour rest, they performed a test that included a 5-minute maximal bout. Performance variables in each test were modeled in 2 independent equations, using Bayesian general linear regressions to predict VO2max. Stepwise selection was then used to identify the minimal subset of parameters with the best predictive power for each model. RESULTS: Five-minute relative power output was the best explanatory variable to predict VO2max in the model from the graded exercise test (R2 95% credibility interval, .81-.88) and when using data from the 5MT (R2 95% credibility interval, .61-.77). Accordingly, VO2max could be predicted with a 5MT using the equation VO2max = 16.6 + (8.87 × 5-min relative power output). CONCLUSIONS: Road cycling VO2max can be predicted in cyclists through a single-variable equation that includes relative power obtained during a 5MT. Coaches, cyclists, and scientists may benefit from the reduction of laboratory assessments performed on athletes due to this finding.