Can Post-Activation Performance Enhancement (PAPE) Improve Running Speed and Gait?
ABSTRACT:
Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) refers to the acute improvement in sport or exercise performance following a high-intensity conditioning activity. PAPE is thought to enhance neuromuscular recruitment and force production, potentially improving running gait characteristics such as step rate (SR) and contact time (CT), two variables associated with running performance. This research project examined how step rate and contact time change throughout a three-kilometer treadmill time trial and determined whether these variables were influenced by a PAPE intervention. Ten collegiate and post-collegiate runners (N = 10; 6 males, 4 females; 22 ± 1 years, 175 ± 10 cm, 63.8 ± 9.0 kg, 14.8 ± 5.9% body fat) completed two randomized three- kilometer treadmill time trials under PAPE and NoPAPE conditions in the Robert Kertzer Exercise Physiology Lab. Trials were separated by approximately 72 hours. Following a standardized warm-up, the PAPE protocol consisted of two sets of 10 ankle hops and 5 squat jumps, whereas the NoPAPE condition included the standardized warm-up only. We instructed participants to complete each time trial as fast as possible. Running gait was assessed using Runscribe 500 Hz IMU footpods attached to each shoe. Step rate and contact time were recorded by the footpods in 30-second epochs at the end of each kilometer and manually averaged for the right leg. I analyzed data using a 2 x 3 repeated-measures ANOVA with post hoc t-tests, when appropriate. Results revealed that the three-kilometer completion time did not differ between the PAPE and NoPAPE conditions (11:24 ± 96 s vs. 11:19 ± 89 s, respectively; p=0.204). Similarly, step rate and contact time were unaffected by the PAPE intervention (p >0.05). However, kilometer split time demonstrated a significant effect of time (p =0.034). Participants completed the first kilometer significantly faster (3:40 ± 34 s) than both the second (3:49 ± 33 s; p = 0.036) and third (3:53 ± 28 s; p = 0.029) kilometers, indicating a progressive decline in pace throughout the time trial. In conclusion, the PAPE protocol did not affect running gait variable or three-kilometer treadmill performance. Although runners progressively slowed throughout the time trial, this pattern occurred similarly across conditions and was not attributable to PAPE. Future research should investigate alternative PAPE protocols to determine whether different conditioning stimuli can influence gait characteristics or endurance running performance.
This research was supported by a 2025 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) grant through the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research at the Â鶹app. I would like to thank Dr. Summer Cook for her mentorship and guidance throughout this project, as well as my research partner, Max Stenslie, for his collaboration.
Author and Mentor Bios
Carter Norton is a rising junior at the Â鶹app from East Greenbush, New York. He is majoring in exercise science with an expected graduation date of May 2028. Carter is a member of the UNH Varsity Track and Field team and has presented research at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, the UNH Undergraduate Research Conference, and the University's first annual Undergraduate Research Showcase. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in medicine as either a physician or physical therapist.
Summer Cook is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the Â鶹app, where she has been since 2009. She conducts research on optimizing human performance, particularly in areas of neuromuscular physiology and aging.
Copyright 2026 © Carter Norton
