SynthesisSports medicine - open2026
The Effect of Variable Resistance Training on Post-Activation Performance Enhancement: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Sports medicine - open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVariable resistance training (VRT) has been proposed as a practical conditioning strategy to acutely enhance subsequent performance, but the evidence for its ability to induce post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) remains inconsistent. This study systematically quantified the acute effect of VRT on PAPE using a systematic review with a three-level meta-analysis and explored key moderating variables.
methodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases. Given the nested effect sizes within studies, a three-level meta-analysis model was employed to calculate Hedges' g, supplemented by subgroup analyses and meta-regression.
resultsThirteen studies (95 effect sizes) were ultimately included. Main effects analysis revealed a significant modest effect of VRT on PAPE (k = 95, g = 0.27, p = 0.0016), though with substantial heterogeneity (I²= 60.1%). Subgroup analysis indicated significant modest improvements in jump performance: Tier-3 participants (g = 0.22) exhibited significant PAPE effects, whereas Tier-2 showed no significant effect; furthermore, PAPE effects were significant for multi-set training (g = 0.43, p = 0.002) and for equal intensity VRT designs (g = 0.39, p = 0.003).
conclusionAcute VRT constitutes an effective strategy for inducing PAPE, yielding small to moderate positive effects. For the acute elicitation of PAPE, high-level athletes may benefit from using VRT during warm-ups or complex training, particularly when multiple sets, an equal-intensity design, and a relatively high proportion (≥ 30%) of variable resistance loading are applied.
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