Believe it or not, jumping and sprinting athletes should strength train differently. Of course, if you play a sport (which typically involves both running and jumping of some kind) you’ll probably want to be pretty good at both movements. There are, of course, those situations where it is useful to know how to develop one or the other via the weightroom, such as a discrepancy on the field (I got hops, but help! I run like a turtle!), or a necessary specialization (such as track and field).
It has been quite some time since I did any sort of review or commentary on recent research in the strength and conditioning field, but there was a study that came out recently which caught my eye, and it sheds some light on how to differentiate sprint vs. jump special strength training methods.
Does overspeed training improve performance? Is overspeed any different for jumpers vs. sprinters? These are common questions, and the following research clues us in to some answers.
“Three Weeks of Eccentric Training Combined With Overspeed Exercises Enhances Power and Running Speed Performance Gains in Trained Athletes”
Cook, Beaven and Kilduff
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2013
(Thanks Bret Contreras and Chris Beardsley for their research review service!)
Summary: Semi-professional sport athletes performed 4x(3week long blocks of training). Researchers measured 1RM back squat and bench press, as well as vertical jump and 40m dash each 3 week block. Strength exercises included bench press, pullups, single-arm rows, squats, mid-thigh pulls, and RDL’s. Upper and lower body exercises were each performed twice per week. The four blocks included the following training regimens.
- Block 1 was traditional resistance training: 4×5 lifts with 80% 1RM. On lower body days, athletes performed 7x maximal jumps and 5x40m dashes.
- Block 2 was eccentric resistance training: 4×5 lifts with 120% 1RM performed only eccentrically. Athletes performed 7x max jumps and 5x40m dashes on lower body days.
- Block 3 was traditional training: 4×5 lifts with 80% 1RM. Athletes performed 7x assisted max jumps and 5x40m downhill sprints on lower body days.
- Block 4 was eccentric training: 4×5 lifts with 120% 1RM performed eccentrically only. Athletes performed 7x assisted max jumps and 5x40m downhill sprints on lower body days.
The results of testing athletes after each block showed the following:
- Blocks featuring eccentric training improved squat and bench performance to a greater degree than traditional blocks.
- Eccentric training blocks failed to improve sprint speed.
- Blocks 2-4 facilitated greater CMJ power increases then the traditional first training phase.
- Block 3 brought about the greatest increase in sprint speed.
In summary, this research shows that eccentrically focused work is pretty good for improving things like strength and vertical jump power (although actual vertical jump height wasn’t measured… sometimes fancy force plates can be more harm than good! Hmmm, 200 dollar vertec or 20,000 dollar force plate?)
In the short term, eccentric training is not helpful for improving sprint speed. Overspeed style work also seems to be useful for improving speed and vertical jumping… cool. There has been some good research and anecdotal experience from track coaches that overspeed work can be quite effective as provoking maximal speed improvements, although the anecdotal evidence in the jump department is still young.
So, with that we have the following:
Get Fast: Focus on traditional weight training, standard speed and overspeed methods.
Jump High: Focus on both traditional/eccentric weight training and standard/overspeed methods.
So why doesn’t eccentric training help improve top speed? The answer lies in three things, contraction rate, contraction type and level of muscle tone. Training eccentrically does a lot to help improve the raw strength of the muscle fibers and overload the nervous system, but doesn’t leave much room for elastic strength (which speed requires). On the other hand, traditional strength training tempos make greater use of the elastic mechanisms of the body and won’t divert the nervous system towards a mode where it likes to store energy for longer.
Other distinctions between strength and speed in strength training methods:
This study showed one distinction that can be made between training for strength or vertical leap in athletics. The other changes are going to revolve around the muscle groups being worked in various exercises, as well as the biomechanics of that exercise. Any exercise that puts a premium on hip flexion/extension, or knee flexion is going to be great for speed. In this camp we have things like low bar squats, deadlifts, cleans and snatches, hip thrusts, swings, back extensions, resisted knee drives, and hamstring curls of various types .
Exercises for vertical are going to be those that emphasize hip and knee extension, and especially those exercises that have greater ranges of motion and time under tension. For vertical, deep front and Olympic back squats are great, as well as slower tempo or eccentric overloaded variations. Cleans, snatches, kettlebell swings and deadlifts are also a fantastic way to train the hip and knee extension found in vertical jumping.
Summary:
Through this article, you are now aware of some distinctions between speed and vertical training in regards to strength work. More force and time under tension lends itself to the larger contact time oriented vertical leap while less force and time under tension will work better for enhancing sprint speed. If you are a sprinter, don’t totally shy away from heavy or slow eccentric work early in the season however, as it can enhance the work you are doing later in the year. Finally if you are a team sport athlete where you need both strength and speed, remember that there is not simply one training method which will maximize your performance, but rather a combination of the many methods listed above.
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