Boost Your Vertical Jump with Combined Strength Training
Vertical jump height is a significant marker of athleticism and a vital component of most sports. The vertical jump is a key performance indicator of lower extremity power that relies on both leg strength and plyometric capacity. The expression of power represents the ability to produce strength in a shortened time. Combined strength training is a research supported training style that can boost vertical jump performance.
Combined strength training is a technique that combines both traditional, slow tempo strength exercises with high tempo, plyometric exercises.
This training style takes advantage of the PAP theory – postactivation potentiation – an immediate and short termed increase in strength and power after a max or near-max muscle contraction. By performing a heavy strength exercise first, the neuromuscular system is primed to better perform the plyometric exercise that follows. There are several specific styles of combined strength training based on the exercise pairing (however, all of these fall under the general category of combined strength training). In the definitions below, a “low-intensity strength exercise” is typically done in the form of a plyometric exercise.
Combined Training
A series of high-intensity strength exercises are performed at the beginning of the training session. Then the session is finished with a series of low-intensity strength training exercises
Contrast Combined Training
1 set of a high intensity strength training exercise followed by 1 set of a low-intensity strength training exercise
Complex Combined Training
2-3 sets of high-intensity strength exercises followed by 2-3 sets of low-intensity strength exercises
A recent study was published by Usal, et al (2023) in the Strength and Condiitoning Journal titled, “The Effect of Combined Strength Training on Vertical Jump Performance in Young Basketball Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.”(1) The authors of this article have published an excellent review of studies that compared various types of combined strength training protocols against traditional resistance training. The purpose of these studies and this recent review was to determine which training strategy was the best for improving vertical jump height in youth basketball athletes.
In this systematic review study, combined strength training (regardless of specific style) was demonstrated to be the optimal training strategy in enhancing vertical jump height in youth basketball athletes compared to traditional resistance training.
In combined strength training, starting the workout with high-intensity exercise initiates and optimizes several physiological adaptions. An increase in chemical processes in muscle filaments allow for greater muscle contractions.(2) The muscle filaments also become more sensitive to calcium.(2) This allows muscle filaments to engage easier, resulting in greater force production.(3) Some conflicting evidence suggests that neural excitability (the nerve impulse to the muscle) also increases through a mechanism known as the H-Reflex following high-intensity strength exercise.(4) The above physiological processes contribute to the enhanced training effect observed in the subsequent plyometric training during a combined strength training session.
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References
Uysal, Hüseyin Şahin MSc1; Dalkiran, Oguzhan PhD1; Korkmaz, Sezgin PhD1; Akyildiz, Zeki PhD2; Nobari, Hadi PhD3,4; Clemente, Filipe Manuel PhD5,6. The Effect of Combined Strength Training on Vertical Jump Performance in Young Basketball Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Strength and Conditioning Journal 45(5):p 554-567, October 2023.
Zhi G, Ryder JW, Huang J, et al. Myosin light chain kinase and myosin phosphorylation effect frequency-dependent potentiation of skeletal muscle contraction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102: 17519–17524, 2005.
Lorenz D. Postactivation potentiation: An introduction. Int J Sports Phys Ther 6: 234, 2011.
Chiu LZ, Fry AC, Weiss LW, et al. Postactivation potentiation response in athletic and recreationally trained individuals. J Strength Cond Res 17: 671–677, 2003.
Disclaimer: This SciSport blog post is a summary of an article printed in an academic research journal. The purpose of this blog post is to provide readers with academic and educational content in an easy-to-understand format. We take no credit for the material and knowledge presented, and we encourage readers to take a look at the original source provided in the References section.
