When training athletes, or even the general population, a common, desirable adaptation is increased power output. In order to understand how to train for power, we first have to understand exactly what power is. The equation for power in the context of athletics is:

P = force x velocity

Force = mass x acceleration

To produce power, we need to produce a lot of force, very quickly, and in a specific direction. So when training for power, the two variables that coaches need to focus on in the weight room are load (mass), acceleration, and velocity. There are several different ways to train for power, but most strength and conditioning coaches will likely use a form of Olympic lifting or loaded jumps. That’s why in this blog post, we’ll be discussing the loaded jumps and olympic lifts, so that you can learn how to optimise power and get stronger, faster and more efficient in your movement. Interestingly enough, this relates to general population, as the quality of power relates more closely to the nervous system, than strength alone. As you age, staying athletic using power as an indicator might be a better predictor of all cause mortality.

What are olympic lifts and why are they used outside of olympic weightlifting?

Background on Olympic Lifts

Olympic lifts started gaining popularity for non-Olympic lifting athletes when Garhammer (1993) described that the second pull of cleans and snatches produced more power than traditional power lifting movements such as squats and deadlifts. When looking for ways to improve power, coaches looked to Olympic lifters and how fast they moved with tremendous amounts of weight. Well known coaches like Mike Boyle regularly use Olympic lifts, or variations of them like hang cleans and hang snatches because he likes that it is a movement that requires both power output and athleticism. This is where we agree. At FIT4FUNCTION we devote a great deal of off-season training to learning and perfecting the traditional Olympic lifts. Both of these programs, MBSC, and FIT4FUNCTION, regularly produce high level athletes that compete at the professional level. There are plenty of other examples of other organizations utilising Olympic lifts in their training and finding success with them. You only have to look at the American Collegiate Gyms full of American footballers, basketballs and other sports, all performing hang cleans, alongside other olympic lifts.

Background on Loaded Jumps

Loaded jumps have both clinically, and practically been proven to be more efficient than Olympic lifts. But before we get to the physics part of the argument, let’s start with the practical difference. No matter which way you slice it, loaded jumps are easier to teach and monitor.

Something Important to Remember

Olympic lifts are not that hard to teach to get athletes to a point where they have passable form. However, in order to get athletes to a point where they are producing the kind of force outlined by Garhammer (1993), they would require years of Olympic lift specific training because his study evaluated professional lifters.

Now let’s look at physics.

Oranchuk et al 2017, for example, compared the difference between using a loaded jump squat, and a hang high pull to improve multiple tests including counter movement jump and Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull. Although there were no significant differences in peak power between the two interventions, the jump squat group had significantly higher rates of force development. In a practical game setting, this means even if two athletes are jumping the same height, or moving the same distance, an athlete with a higher RFD will get there faster. This means getting to a rebound faster, being the first to have a chance at a 50/50 ball, or being first to get the puck to avoid an icing call. Another study by Turner et al 2015 showed that the majority of subjects were able to achieve peak power outputs when using the hex bar jump squat when using loads of either 10 or 20% of their box squat 1RM (why the box squat? I don’t know). Whereas another study by Comfort et al 2012 showed that when using the power clean, loads of 70-80% 1RM were optimal for producing peak power. This means that lighter, safer loads for explosive, triple extension movements can be utilized for training power, and they are a lot easier to teach (WHICH IS OK). Anecdotally, when performing loaded jumps, it is far easier to focus on triple extension and the concentric phase of the movement in a loaded jump compared to Olympic lifts; triple extension being primary thing that jumping, sprinting, and changing direction have in common.

So what options do you have when looking to add loaded jumps into your program, now that I’ve shown you the benefits?

loaded jump squat and trapbar jumps

A recent study by Oranchuk et al (2019) demonstrated that vertical jump, RFD and isometric force performance improved in equal amounts after the completion of a high hang clean pull and trapbar bar jump training intervention. These findings suggest that the use of loaded jumps as a means of increasing RFD within athletes is warranted and can be applied as an equally effective alternative to the Olympic lifts. However, in conjunction with the law of training variation (that being the need to apply different training stressors within athletes to force training adaptations), it is apparent that both loaded jumps and Olympic lifts could be used together within strength and conditioning programs.

How to add jump squats and Trapbar jumps into your program

Care must be taken when selecting loaded jump training loads, as peak power output has been shown to occur at varying weights relative to ones 1RM depending on an athletes training status and level of strength. Research by Turner et al (2012) demonstrated that peak power occurred when performing Trapbar bar jumps at loads ranging between 10-20% of ones 1RM back squat. Similarly, Stone et al (2000) reported peak power outputs at 10% 1RM back squat when performing loaded squat jumps, whereas Baker et al (2001) reported maximum power output values when performing loaded squat jumps between 55-59% of 1RM back squat performance. Therefore, strength and conditioning coaches should use loads ranging between 10-60% of back squat 1RM performance when programming loaded jumps with athletes whilst ensuring the exercise is performed at maximal speed in an explosive manner, and not at a restricted pace due to excessive loads.

The relatively simple execution of a trapbar bar jump or a loaded squat jump, when compared to that of an Olympic lift, make the use of loaded jump training appealing within strength and conditioning practice. However, athletes must first demonstrate correct mechanics and possess adequate strength levels before embarking on a loaded jump-based program. Despite these pre-requisites, it is evident that loaded jump training is an effective means of improving power performance within athletes, and should therefore be considered within athletic preparation.   

Why loaded jumps are NOT a substitute for olympic lifts

Olympic lifts and loaded jumps really aren’t as comparable as many people make them out to be in the research.

Peak power output may be similar yes, but how it is reached, maintained or repeated is not.

Loads used are vastly different.

Tasks are vastly different.

Ranges of motion are vastly different.

I’d argue the full olympic lifts train the ability to get into end/deep ranges of motion under high loads and speeds and impacts to great extent without any conscious thought (very underrated quality).

Sure, there is some overlap between loaded jumps and Olympic lifts. And I’m not a simp for the Olympic lifts either, just offering another perspective from both sides of the argument so hopefully you can learn a little about how to use them in your own training.

What to do with this new-found knowledge

1. Learn to move well through squat and hinge movement patterns, alongside learning to jump and land effectively.

2. Once competent in the above, begin to add loaded jumps into your program 1-2 days a week at 10 - 20% 1RM for squats or Trapbar deadlifts.

3. Alongside loaded jumps, begin learning the hang power snatch and power snatch for 4 - 8 weeks.

4. After 4 - 8 weeks increase the load of your loaded jumps to 30% 1RM.

5. While continuing to master the hang power snatch and power snatch, introduce the hang clean and power clean for 4 - 8 weeks.

6. Now 8 - 20 weeks into this progression begin performing loaded jumps at 40 - 60% 1RM once a week, in the same session as heavy lifts at 80 - 95% 1RM.

7. Simultaneously begin performing Snatch + Clean Complexes: These can look like this —> 3 x clean pulls into 3 x hang power clean into 3 x power clean OR 2 x Snatch Hang High Pull into 1 x Hang Snatch

8. You’ll now perform complexes for 2-4 weeks before testing your clean and snatch 1RM

This is just one way of progressing loaded jumps and olympic lifts together. I believe any athlete should have power increase as their main goal alongside conditioning as opposed to strength and hypertrophy (I’ll discuss this in another blog). If power is your main goal, loaded jumps should be included for their simplicity in moving load fast, and the olympic lifts should be included for their range of motion, co-ordination and skill required to perform well.

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