| The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of prefacilitation on explosive mechanical power output. The results were obtained by performing various repetition maximal loads prior to a ballistic bench press throw. Twenty-three college-aged males, all previously experienced in upper body training, randomly performed five repetition maximal bench press loads (1,3,5,7 and 10RMs) along with subsequent ballistic bench press throws. Data was recorded from the pre- and post-test ballistic bench press throws. Increase in power approached statistical significance (p = .056) (average increase of 8.74 watts) for the subsequent throws following the 5RM load. The remaining four loads failed to show significant enhancement to power output. These loads showed a decrease in power output for the subsequent throws (ranging from 8.51 to 18.35 watts decreased). Results indicate that the 5RM load resulted in the largest amount of increase in power output and displacement for subsequent ballistic bench press throws. |
