Weightlifting for Vertical Jump

Jumping is an important movement pattern and skill for human performance. The ability to jump is linked with successful performance and competition outcomes in many sports.

Coaches all around the world use the vertical jump as a standard assessment to test for lower body power. The vertical jump has also been shown to have an influence on other performance measures such as sprinting and agility. In general, increasing vertical jump can have a major impact of overall performance.

Factors that contribute to vertical jump ability include the ability to produce maximal force (maximal strength), rate of force production (how fast force can be produced – i.e., power), as well as coordination and timing of muscle contractions. Training with exercises that can improve these factors has been shown to lead to improved vertical jump ability and better overall performance.

The highest level of research has analysed the effect different training techniques have on vertical jump performance. The training techniques included traditional forms of resistance training (machines, dummbells, kettlebells, etc.), plyometrics (jump training), and weightlifting (snatch, clean, and jerk). Both investigations demonstrated that weightlifting was significantly superior to traditional resistance training and equal to or slightly better than plyomertic training.

Simple take away… whether it’s the only training modality or in combined with other forms of training, using weightlifting movements can significantly increase your vertical jump and overall performance.

References

Berton, R., Lixandrão, M. E., Pinto E Silva, C. M., & Tricoli, V. (2018). Effects of weightlifting exercise, traditional resistance and plyometric training on countermovement jump performance: a meta-analysis. Journal of sports sciences, 36(18), 2038–2044. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.1434746

Hackett, D., Davies, T., Soomro, N., & Halaki, M. (2016). Olympic weightlifting training improves vertical jump height in sportspeople: a systematic review with meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 50(14), 865–872. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-094951