## 4 Discussion
[30] indicated that only those with greater relative strength appeared to show within-set potentiation effects during AEL bench press sets. These findings, combined with additional back squat potentiation literature [31], support the notion that greater relative strength is needed to realize potentiation benefits. The relative strength of the women in the current study ranged from 1.10 to 1.77 times their body weight; however, it is unclear if this range contributed to a lack of within-set potentiation effects. While investigating injury rates in collegiate athletes, [PERSON] et al. [32] suggested that a relative back squat of 1.6 times body weight may serve as a strength standard indicative of a lower likelihood of injury in collegiate female athletes. Thus, future research is needed to examine the differences in AEL performance between resistance-trained women using the previous strength standard as a criterion for stronger and weaker participants. Given that AEL has been classified as an advanced training method [4], determining the potential differences would benefit practitioners looking to implement AEL within resistance training programs. Similar to the previous study examining the force-time characteristics of various AEL-MAX and AEL-SUPRA loading combinations in men [13], it was determined that the largest braking net mean forces were produced during short durations when the load spread (i.e., the difference in load between AEL total load and barbell load) was greater. These findings support the notion that larger load spreads during AEL may serve as an effective stimulus for developing rapid braking force characteristics. In contrast, provided there is a large enough load on the barbell, a smaller load spread during AEL may serve as a more effective stimulus for maximal force production and strength adaptations. While this study supports the findings from the previous study investigating AEL during the back squat with men [13], only one other study used wide load spreads during the bench press (i.e., eccentric loads of 100 and 110% 1 RM combined with 30-80% 1 RM concentric loads) [15]. Thus, researchers are encouraged to investigate wide load spreads with more exercises to provide insight on AEL stimuli and benefit implementation strategies. There are several limitations that should be acknowledged within the current study. First, the sample size in the current study was relatively small and thus, the conclusions drawn may need to be interpreted with caution. While the results from this study are valuable, larger samples may provide a more comprehensive understanding of AEL. Second, only resistance-trained women were included as participants; however, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the differences in force-time and barbell velocity characteristics between TRAD and AEL back squats in this population. While previous AEL research included female participants [7; 33], it is the authors' hope that the current study serves as the foundation for further AEL research with a population exclusively made up of women. Finally, only the first repetition of each set was performed with each AEL load combination. While this study replicated the methodology of previous research [13], further research is needed using AEL on multiple repetitions as well as over multiple sets to determine to what extent the training stimulus is modified.