Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Determining the efficacy of using the barbell squat to train the vertical jump

Vertical jump performance is a standard measure of lower body power. The vertical jump is used to determine an athlete’s athletic ability and is a staple of various tryouts and combines for sports such as football and basketball. Because jumping ability is crucial to multiple athletic situations, it is essential to find the training modalities that can best improve this vital skill. This raises the question of what different movements could help facilitate development in the vertical jump. One exercise that has shown efficacy is the barbell squat. Strength coaches see this movement as a staple of any athlete’s training regimen because of its usefulness in stimulating growth and strength in muscles of the lower body. While the benefits for strength and hypertrophy are well known, there are still questions about the carryover; this exercise has power-based assessments like the vertical jump. This review will reference the literature that examines the effect that training barbell squats have on vertical jump performance. The accompanying poster will look at three different studies that examine the effectiveness of training the barbell squat on vertical jump performance.