Relationship Between Traditional and Ballistic Squat Exercise With Vertical Jumping and Maximal Sprinting

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude of the relationship between vertical jumping and maximal sprinting at different distances with performance in the traditional and ballistic concentric squat exercise in well-trained sprinters. Twenty-one men performed 2 types of barbell squats (ballistic and traditional) across different loads with the aim of determining the maximal peak and average power outputs and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) values. Moreover, vertical jumping (countermovement jump test [CMJ]) and maximal sprints over 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 80 m were also assessed. In respect to 1RM in traditional squat, (a) no significant correlation was found with CMJ performance; (b) positive strong relationships (p < 0.01) were obtained with all the power measures obtained during both ballistic and traditional squat exercises (r = 0.53-0.90); (c) negative significant correlations (r = -0.49 to -0.59, p < 0.05) were found with sprint times in all the sprint distances measured when squat strength was expressed as a relative value; however, in the absolute mode, no significant relationships were observed with 10- and 20-m sprint times. No significant relationship was found between 10-m sprint time and relative or absolute power outputs using either ballistic or traditional squat exercises. Sprint time at 20 m was only related to ballistic and traditional squat performance when power values were expressed in relative terms. Moderate significant correlations (r = -0.39 to -0.56, p < 0.05) were observed between sprint times at 30 and 40 m and the absolute/relative power measures attained in both ballistic and traditional squat exercises. Sprint times at 60 and 80 m were mainly related to ballistic squat power outputs. Although correlations can only give insights into associations and not into cause and effect, from this investigation, it can be seen that traditional squat strength has little in common with CMJ performance and that relative 1RM and power outputs for both squat exercises are statistically correlated to most sprint distances underlying the importance of strength and power to sprinting.

Relationships between jump and sprint performance in first-class county cricketers

“…As would be expected, semi-professional sprinters also displayed significantly quicker 20 m sprint times (2.85 ± 0.13 s) and greater jump height (53.6 ± 4.9 cm). 11 Because much of the sprint running performed in team sports, and in particular cricket, is over a very short distance, the ability to increase velocity in the first few ground contacts of the acceleration phase may be considered more important to team sport performance than maximal velocity running. These first few ground contacts consist mainly of concentric muscle actions and propulsive forces.…”

“…For example, Bosco et al 8 found a very strong inverse relationship between CMJ height and 30 m sprint time (r = -0.93, p<0.01), similar to the correlation between the same variables found by Hori et al 9 (r = -0.69, p<0.01). Lopez-Sigovia et al 10 found an inverse correlation between CMJ height and 20 m sprint time of r = -0.54 (p<0.05), and Requena et al 11 found a correlation between the same variables of r = -0.47 (p<0.05). Nesser et al 12 found a moderate inverse correlation of r = -0.464 (p<0.05) between vertical jump height and 40 m sprint time.…”

Various Jump Training Styles for Improvement of Vertical Jump Performance

“…This concentric muscular action needs to be forceful and rapid enough to achieve maximal height. Initial fast and forceful concentric muscle actions need to be at maximum muscular effort as in a ballistic squat to achieve the greatest possible height (29). The greatest amount of force production will be determined by muscle fiber type (type II versus type I), neurological control and activation (rate coding, recruitment, and inter-and intramuscular coordination), Ca +2 phosphorylation on myosin regulatory light chains, muscle cross-sectional area, muscle length, joint angle, contraction velocity, joint angular velocity, strength-to-mass ratio, and fiber arrangement (1,28,36).…”

“…Although there may be minimal relationship between absolute squat 1RM and CMJ, there is a suggestion that relative 1RM squat performance may have more of a role in predicting CMJ height (29). Practitioners also need to have athletes perform exercises with a resistance that will recruit the desired muscle fibers (types IIa and IIx) required by using heavy loaded exercises, such as squats.…”

Peak Power Output in the Bench Pull Is Maximized After Four Weeks of Specific Power Training

“…M uscular power has been shown to correlate with performance in athletic movements, such as jumping, sprinting, and agility tests, and with playing level in a number of sports (3, 10,17,32,34). Therefore, the efficient development of muscular power is a high priority for strength and conditioning programmes.…”