@Article{Kotuła2026,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
year="2026",
title="Priming strategies to enhance sprint performance in highly 
trained athletes across sports: a systematic review  
and meta-analysis",
abstract="Priming strategies have been proposed as a practical approach to acutely enhance neuromuscular readiness and improve speed- and power-related performance in athletes. This systematic review and metaanalysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different priming protocols on sprint performance in highly trained athletes across sports. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Medline, Science Citation Index Expanded, and Embase databases up to February 26, 2026. Randomized studies investigating the sub-acute effects (≥ 5–48 h) of priming interventions on linear sprint performance in competitive athletes were included. Fifteen studies comprising 262 athletes were analyzed. A random-effects model was used to calculate standardized mean differences (SMD). Overall, priming interventions significantly improved sprint performance (SMD = 0.40; 95% confidence interval: 0.22–0.59; p < 0.001) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 5%). Subgroup analysis revealed significant improvements when priming sessions were performed ≤ 8 hours before performance testing, whereas no significant effects were observed for longer intervals (≥ 20 h). No significant differences were detected between subgroups. These findings indicate that low-volume, high-intensity priming strategies (i.e., light-to-heavy load traditional and ballistic resistance exercises) may represent an effective approach to acutely enhance sprint performance in highly trained athletes across sports.",
author="Kotuła, Krzysztof
and Pereira, Lucas A.
and Zajac, Adam
and Golas, Artur
and Maszczyk, Adam
and Loturco, Irineu",
pages="1455--1463",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2026.161110",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.161110"
}