Adding Drop Jumps to a Warm-Up Routine Improves Explosive Performance

Some athletes with a high demand for explosive force development use eccentric or maximal isometric muscle action after warm-up as an immediate preparation to a competition. The aim is immediate improvement of acceleration, rate of force development, and maximal force in the following competition.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immediate influence of eccentric muscle action on vertical jump performance in athletes performing sports with a high demand of explosive force development. 13 Swiss elite athletes (national team members in ski jump, ski alpine, snowboard freestyle and alpine, ski freestyle, and gymnastics) were randomized into 2 groups. After a semistandardized warm-up, group 1 did 5 jumps from a height of 60 cm, landing with active stabilization in 90° knee flexion. One minute after these modified drop jumps, they performed 3 single squat jumps (SJ) and 3 single countermovement jumps (CMJ) on a force platform. The athletes repeated the procedure after 1 hour without the modified drop jumps. Group 2 did the first warm-up without and the second warm-up with the modified drop jumps. A consistent tendency for improvement in power and jump height were observed when drop jumps were added to the warm-up routine.

According to the results of this study, five modified drop jumps added to warm-up can immediately increase jump performance, even in elite athletes. Athletes performing sports with a single action (ski jump, high jump, shot put, etc.) will probably benefit the most from the added eccentric muscle action of the landing in the modified drop jumps.

Hilfiker R, Hubner K, Lorenz T, Marti B. (2007). Effects of drop jumps added to the warm-up of elite sport athletes with a high capacity for explosive force development. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(2): 550-555.