Combined Effects of Postactivation Performance Enhancement and Caffeine Intake on Explosive and Anaerobic Power in Recreationally Active Males.

Background: Both post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) and caffeine (CAF) are known to acutely improve physical performance. However, their combined effects on multiple performance outcomes in recreationally active individuals remain underexplored.

Objective: This study explores the combined effects of PAPE and caffeine CAF supplementation on explosive power, sprint performance, and anaerobic capacity in recreationally active men.

Methods: In a double-blind, crossover design, 20 participants completed 4 sessions with distinct interventions: placebo (PLA) with usual warm-up (No-PAPE + PLA), PAPE + PLA, CAF without PAPE (No-PAPE + CAF), and PAPE + CAF. After CAF (6 mg CAF/kg body mass) or PLA ingestion, participants performed warm-ups. They underwent physical tests, including vertical jump height (VJH), standing long jump (SLJ), 40-yard dash, and the running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST). Data were analyzed using 1- and 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc tests ( < 0.05 considered significant).

Results: The PAPE + CAF condition yielded significant improvements in VJH compared with other conditions ( < 0.01), although the 40-yard dash times improved significantly in No-PAPE + CAF, PAPE + PLA, and PAPE + CAF conditions compared with PLA ( < 0.001). VJH also showed significant gains in PAPE + CAF compared with PAPE + PLA and No-PAPE + CAF ( < 0.01). Additionally, PAPE + CAF, PAPE + PLA, and No-PAPE + CAF produced notable increases in RAST metrics, including peak power, average power, minimum power, total time, and anaerobic capacity compared with No-PAPE + PLA ( < 0.001), although fatigue index differences remained nonsignificant. No significant effects were found in SLJ ( > 0.05).

Conclusion: These findings highlight a synergistic effect between PAPE and CAF in enhancing short-term explosive performance, offering practical strategies for optimizing high-intensity activities in recreationally active individuals.