This study examined the postactivation potentiation effects of combining squat and deadlift exercises on subsequent repeated jump performance. Fifteen, resistance-Trained youth wrestlers were randomly allocated to either undertake back squats (BSq), deadlift (DL) or BSq and DL as supersets (BSq+DL), with a repeated jump protocol performed 8-minutes post-exercise in each session. Thereafter, a control condition (CON) was completed involving a general warm-up, followed by the repeated jump protocols. Power outputs, flight time, contact time and reactive strength index were recorded from each repeated jump protocol. Measures were compared between the BSq, DL and BSq+DL sessions and between sessions that generated the best power output (BEST) with CON via inferential statistics and effect size (ES) calculations. The BSq condition exhibited significantly greater power output compared to the CON condition (p0.05, ES = 1.07), although no differences were identified for the other conditioning activities. Furthermore, power output, flight time and reactive strength index were significantly greater for the BEST compared to the CON condition (p0.05, ES = 0.97-1.47). Results indicated that BSq was the optimal conditioning activity to increase power output during a repeated jump protocol. However, greater improvement during the BEST condition suggests that the type of conditioning activity should also be considered on an individual-basis.

Plyometric training has always been a topic of interest in terms of sport perfor-mance enhancement and development. The most relevant and up-to-date data has been reviewed to try to answer the question “what kind of plyometric training to use” to improve ones’ performance. The present study demonstrates the use of re-active strength index (RSI) and force-velocity profiling. In the text there is also a presentations of common jumping tests that help practitioners to establish a profile of an athlete. Main findings of this study are: general strength should be developed alongside reactive strength qualities, plyometric training optimized and guided by RSI is highly effective in improving reactive strength ability, demands of a sport determine the manner in which plyometric exercises should be performed, RSI can be used as a representation of neuromuscular fatigue, force-velocity (F-v) approach may help improve the training practice for performance in explosive push-off ac-tions like jumping, through a more efficient monitoring and understanding of the individual determinants of athletic performance, showing the sensitivity of the F-v profile to specific training programs can result in either maximal force or velocity capabilities improvements (determination of F-v imbalances or FVimb) – which is termed “optimized training” and it has been found that an optimized and individu-alized training program specifically addressing the FVimb is more efficient for im-proving jumping performance than traditional resistance training.

Training load monitoring is crucial to examine fatigue status. The currently available methodsshow diverse validity, and each come with their limitations. The advantages of CMJ are manyand seem to be useful within team sports, although its use on endurance athletes needs moreresearch. Using force plates is agreed to be the best method, but the uncertainty of whichvariables to use when monitoring fatigue creates difficulties, yet currently, no optimal methodis identified. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of CMJ and its variables onendurance athletes. Ten triathletes participated in the study, performing the CMJ two times aweek for five weeks. The training load from each session was quantified using Lucia’sTRIMP. A correlation analysis between total TRIMP three days prior to testing and eightdifferent CMJ-variables were made; jump height-flight time (JH-FT), jump height-impulse(JH-IM), Reactive Strength Index-flight time (RSI-FT), Reactive Strength Index-impulse(RSI-IM), braking duration (B-DUR), braking impulse (B-IM), propulsive duration (P-DUR),propulsive impulse (P-IM). A small positive correlation was found between TRIMP and JHFT (r =0.23), JH-IM (r = 0.24), RSI-FT (r = 0.13), and RSI-IM (r = 0.13). B-DUR and B-IMhad a small negative correlation (r = -0.10, r = -0.11) while P-DUR and P-IM showed nocorrelation (r = < 0.02). No significance was found in any correlations (p > 0.05). Resultsindicated that JH may provide better information about fatigue compared to other variables.Variables from the braking phase seem more sensitive to training load compared to thepropulsive phase. Using flight time seems to provide similar results as impulse which couldsimplify fatigue monitoring. However, due to limitations of the study the results should beviewed with caution and more research is needed for further conclusions.Keywords; Jump height, Reactive Strength Index, Flight time, impulse

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The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships between dynamic strength index (DSI) and other strength-power performance characteristics and to contextualize DSI scores using case study comparisons. 88 male and 67 female NCAA division I collegiate athletes performed countermovement jumps (CMJ) and isometric mid-thigh pulls (IMTP) during a pre-season testing session as part of a long-term athlete monitoring program. Spearman's correlations were used to assess the relationships between DSI and CMJ peak force, height, modified reactive strength index, peak power and IMTP peak force and rate of force development (RFD). Very large relationships existed between DSI and IMTP peak force (r = -0.848 and -0.746), while small-moderate relationships existed between DSI and CMJ peak force (r = 0.297 and 0.313), height (r = 0.108 and 0.167), modified reactive strength index (r = 0.174 and 0.274), and IMTP RFD (r = -0.341 and -0.338) for men and women, respectively. Finally, relationships between DSI and CMJ peak power were trivial-small for male (r = 0.008) and female athletes (r = 0.191). Case study analyses revealed that despite similar DSI scores, each athlete's percentile rankings for each variable and CMJ force-time characteristics were unique, which may suggest different training emphases are needed. Based on the explained variance, an athlete's IMTP performance may have a larger influence on their DSI score compared to the CMJ. DSI scores should be contextualized using additional performance data to ensure each individual athlete receives the appropriate training stimulus during different training phases throughout the year.

The purpose of this study was to compare 4 methods that assess the lower-body stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) utilization of athletes. Eighty-six National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes from 6 different sports performed 2 squat jumps and 2 countermovement jumps on a force platform. Pre-stretch augmentation percentage (PSAP), eccentric utilization ratio (EUR), and reactive strength (RS) for jump height (JH) and peak power (PP) magnitudes, and reactive strength index–modified (RSImod) were calculated for each team. A series of one-way analyses of variance with a Holm-Bonferroni sequential adjustment were used to compare differences in PSAP, EUR, RS, and RSImod between teams. Statistical differences in RSImod (p < 0.001) existed between teams, whereas no statistical differences in PSAP-JH (p = 0.150), PSAP-PP (p = 0.200), EUR-JH (p = 0.150), EUR-PP (p = 0.200), RS-JH (p = 0.031), or RS-PP (p = 0.381) were present. The relationships between PSAP, EUR, and RS measures were all statistically significant and ranged from strong to nearly perfect (r = 0.569–1.000), while most of the relationships between PSAP, EUR, and RS measures and RSImod were trivial to small (r = 0.192–0.282). Pre-stretch augmentation percentage and EUR, RS, and RSImod values indicate that women's tennis, men's soccer, and men's soccer teams may use the SSC most effectively, respectively. Pre-stretch augmentation percentage, EUR, RS, and RSImod values may show vastly different results when comparing an individual's and a team's ability to use the SSC. Practitioners should consider using RSImod to monitor the SSC utilization of athletes due to its timing component.

To assess acute performance-related effects of foam rolling, this study investigated the immediate effects of a standard foam rolling protocol on explosive strength of the plantarflexors and alpha motor neuron excitability in the soleus. Explosive strength was measured via vertical jump height (JUMP) and the Reactive Strength Index (RSI) obtained from a single leg drop jump. Alpha motor neuron excitability was measured by H reflex amplitude as H wave to M wave ratio (HM) obtained from the soleus muscle. JUMP and RSI measures were analyzed from nineteen subjects (12 male, 7 female) HM data were analyzed from 15 subjects (9 male, 6 female). Subjects attended one day of practice and instruction for the single leg drop jump and one day for data collection. One leg was randomly assigned to be the test leg (FL) and the other as the control (NL). The reported dominant leg and gender were also recorded for each subject. Subjects performed two single leg drop jumps per leg from a box height of 30 cm and then 10 soleus H reflexes were obtained. The intervention, which followed standard professional guidelines, consisted of 2.5 minutes of foam rolling for the FL and rest for the NL, followed by a 5 minute warm up on a cycle ergometer. The best jump and the average HM ratio were chosen for analysis. For each variable a post/pre ratio was calculated for statistical analysis. A 2x2x2 factor ANOVA with repeated measures on both factors was used for each variable. Analysis revealed no statistically significant differences for any of the variables, either as main effects or any of the interaction effects. Subjects trended towards a slightly larger post-intervention decrease in JUMP and RSI for the FL than the NL but this was not significant. It was concluded that a 2.5 minute intervention of foam rolling had no acute effect on explosive strength of the plantarflexors or alpha motor neuron excitability of the soleus. / text