Sprinting Speed Increases Through Postactivation Performance Enhancement with a Hex-Bar Farmers Walk

<ns3:p> Background: An acute increase in maximum strength, power, or speed following a conditioning contraction, known as a postactivation performance enhancement (PAPE), has been previously determined to be better performed when the initial exercise is of the same movement pattern. The objective of this study was to examine the utilization of varying loads of a hex-bar farmer’s walk (HBFW) completed at 20 meters and its subsequent impact on 20-metre sprinting performance.  Methods: In a randomized and counterbalanced design, 18 college-aged individuals with resistance and running experience completed five 20-meter sprints (with 10-meter splits) at baseline, 4, 8, 12, and 16 minutes after a control (no load), and a farmer’s walk utilizing 70% and 80% of their hex-bar deadlift one-repetition maximum (1-RM).  Results: A significant condition x time interaction was observed at both 10-meter and 20-meter was found using a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (alpha = 0.05). In both instances, there was an improvement from baseline in average speed for both the 70% and 80% conditions compared to the control.  Conclusions: These findings suggest that 70% and, more noticeably, 80% 1-RM HBFW may result in PAPE following a predetermined rest interval. These outcomes suggest that using 80% 1-RM HBFW during the warm-up may enhance sprint velocity during training or pre-competition.   </ns3:p>