Effects of Conditioning Activities in Female Athletes

NCT07542119 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 7.572.592/2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will investigate how different warm-up strategies affect physical performance in female athletes who practice invasion sports (e.g., soccer, handball, and basketball). Participants will complete three different conditions: a standard warm-up only, a warm-up followed by a performance-enhancing activity, and a warm-up followed by a low-intensity activity designed to simulate the same expectations without real physiological effects. After each condition, athletes will perform tests of vertical jump performance and change-of-direction speed. In addition, participants will report their perceived effort, expectations, muscle soreness, and recovery status. The study will include eighteen female athletes and will be conducted under controlled conditions, including standardized hydration, recovery, and environmental factors. The design will allow comparison of the physical and psychological effects of the different warm-up strategies on performance.

Conditions

Placebo Effect; Physical Performance; Countermovement Jump

Keywords

women; enhancement; warm-up

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Countermovement Jump Height

  Countermovement jump height (cm), assessed under standardized conditions using a contact mat. Participants will perform three attempts, and the mean value will be used for analysis. Jumps will be executed with hands on hips to minimize upper-body contribution. Measurements will be collected at baseline and after each experimental condition to evaluate changes in performance.

  Baseline (pre-intervention) following each experimental condition within the same session.

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Agility Performance

  Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the countermovement jump assessment (following each experimental condition).

• Participant Expectation

  Post-intervention (after each condition).

Study Arms (3)

Conditioning Activity

EXPERIMENTAL

The "real" conditioning activity will consist of one set of six repetitions of drop jumps performed at maximal intensity. The box height will be individually determined during two familiarization sessions to ensure optimal performance and safety. Each repetition will be separated by a 15-second interval. Participants will be instructed to step off the box and, upon ground contact, perform the jump as quickly as possible, emphasizing minimal ground contact time and maximal rebound height. Arm swing will be allowed to ensure maximal performance.

Other: post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol

Control Condition

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In the control condition, only the standardized warm-up will be performed. However, the total duration will be adjusted to match the other conditions, with no additional intervention. In other words, if the conditioning activity and SHAM conditions last 25 minutes (10 minutes of standardized warm-up + 15 minutes of the conditioning activity itself), in the control condition participants will perform the standardized warm-up repeatedly until reaching 25 minutes.

Other: post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol

Sham Condition

SHAM COMPARATOR

The SHAM condition will be performed using the free-weight squat with a load of 20% of 1RM, i.e., a "simulated" conditioning activity insufficient to induce physiological effects. Three sets will be performed, with three-minute intervals between them. During these intervals, pneumatic tourniquets (77 × 21.5 cm) will be placed on the proximal portion of the thighs and inflated to (only) 15 mmHg for 3 minutes (including 30 seconds before and after for placement and removal). Movement cadence will be controlled using a metronome, ensuring that participants perform the movement in synchrony with the auditory signal. The adopted cadence will be 20/20, i.e., 2 seconds for the eccentric phase and 2 seconds for the concentric phase, totaling 4 seconds per repetition. Players will receive verbal suggestion that this technique is expected to improve performance with less fatigue compared to the "heavy" exercise, referring to the "real" conditioning activity condition.

Other: post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol

Interventions

post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol OTHER

This study uses a randomized crossover design in which participants complete three conditions (real conditioning activity, SHAM, and control), reducing inter-individual variability. A key feature is the SHAM condition designed to control for placebo and expectancy effects, combining low-load resistance exercise (20% 1RM), verbal suggestion, and simulated blood flow restriction (15 mmHg), insufficient to induce physiological responses. All conditions are strictly standardized, including a warm-up, metronome-controlled cadence, fixed rest intervals, and equal total duration. The conditioning activity (drop jump) is performed at maximal intensity with individualized box height and standardized technique. The study focuses exclusively on female athletes and includes evaluator blinding, addressing gaps in research and improving control of psychophysiological influences on performance.

Conditioning Activity; Control Condition; Sham Condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 30 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Female athletes aged 18 to 30 years
• Familiarity with the proposed tests and exercises
• Ability to perform all testing procedures
• Regular participation in invasion team sports (at least two sessions per week) for a minimum of two years

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of musculoskeletal injuries that could limit test performance
• Injury occurring during the study period
• Absence for more than seven days between experimental sessions
• Failure to comply with the data collection schedule

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro: lead

Study Sites (1)

Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro

Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 55, Brazil

Location

Related Publications (5)

• Ramirez-Campillo R, Andrade DC, Izquierdo M. Effects of plyometric training volume and training surface on explosive strength. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Oct;27(10):2714-22. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318280c9e9.

  PMID: 23254550 RESULT

• Xu K, Blazevich AJ, Boullosa D, Ramirez-Campillo R, Yin M, Zhong Y, Tian Y, Finlay M, Byrne PJ, Cuenca-Fernandez F, Wang R. Optimizing Post-activation Performance Enhancement in Athletic Tasks: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis for Prescription Variables and Research Methods. Sports Med. 2025 Apr;55(4):977-1008. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02170-6. Epub 2025 Jan 24.

  PMID: 39853660 RESULT

• Seitz LB, de Villarreal ES, Haff GG. The temporal profile of postactivation potentiation is related to strength level. J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Mar;28(3):706-15. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182a73ea3.

  PMID: 23965945 RESULT

• Boullosa D, Beato M, Dello Iacono A, Cuenca-Fernandez F, Doma K, Schumann M, Zagatto AM, Loturco I, Behm DG. A New Taxonomy for Postactivation Potentiation in Sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2020 Aug 19;15(8):1197-1200. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2020-0350.

  PMID: 32820135 RESULT

• Blazevich AJ, Babault N. Post-activation Potentiation Versus Post-activation Performance Enhancement in Humans: Historical Perspective, Underlying Mechanisms, and Current Issues. Front Physiol. 2019 Nov 1;10:1359. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01359. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31736781 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Clinical Protocols

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Therapeutics; Epidemiologic Study Characteristics; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

Study Officials

• Gustavo Ribeiro da Mota, PhD

  Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Gustavo Ribeiro da Mota, PhD

CONTACT

55 14991021717; gustavo.mota@uftm.edu.br

Armando Seno Lourenço Silva, Master´s Student

CONTACT

55 17981447702; armandoseno95@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Full Professor (PhD)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2026
• First Posted: April 21, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): May 10, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 20, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 25, 2026
• Last Updated: April 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BR (1)