title: The back squat and the power clean: elicitation of different degrees of potentiation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the acute effects of back squats and power cleans on sprint performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen elite junior rugby league players performed 20-m linear sprints before and 7 min after 2 different conditioning activities or 1 control condition. The conditioning activities included 1 set of 3 back squats or power cleans at 90% 1-repetition maximum. A 2 × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare preconditioning and postconditioning changes in sprint performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the back-squat and power-clean conditioning activities demonstrated a potentiation effect as indicated by improved sprint time (back squat: P = .001, ES = -0.66; power cleans: P = .001, ES = -0.92), velocity (back squat: P = .001, ES = 0.63; power cleans: P = .001, ES = 0.84), and average acceleration over 20 m (back squat: P = .001, ES = 0.70; power cleans: P = .001, ES = 1.00). No potentiation effect was observed after the control condition. Overall, the power clean induced a greater improvement in sprint time (P = .042, ES = 0.83), velocity (P = .047, ES = 1.17), and average acceleration (P = .05, ES = 0.87) than the back squat.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Back-squat and power-clean conditioning activities both induced improvements in sprint performance when included as part of a potentiation protocol. However, the magnitude of improvement was greater after the power cleans. From a practical perspective, strength and conditioning coaches should consider using power cleans rather than back squats to maximize the performance effects of potentiation complexes targeting the development of sprint performance.
authors.affiliation: Center for Exercise and Sport Science Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Laurent B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: Gabriel S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Trajano
authors.forename: G Gregory
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Haff
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D053580:Muscle Strength; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000379:methods*; D055070:Resistance Training; D012420:Running; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult