Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) is a key objective following regular warm-up routines, especially in sports that rely heavily on sprinting speed and power. Rugby is a team sport characterized by a range of repeated high-intensity efforts, irrespective of positional roles or match demands. In this study, we examined and compared the effects of two different conditioning activities (CAs) on the power- and speed-related abilities of National Team rugby players. Thirteen male rugby union players sequentially performed countermovement jump (CMJ), 30 m sprint, and change-of-direction (COD) tests (pre-testing session) 5 min before executing either one set of six repetitions of 45 cm drop jumps or one set of six repetitions of flywheel eccentric-overload squats. In addition to the sport-specific tests, the muscle mechanical properties of the athletes were also assessed through the use of tensiomyography (TMG).

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