Analysis of Power Output During the Countermovement and Split-Squat Jump Across Loads and High-Volume Repetitions in Elite Athletes

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the rate of peak power (PP) loss during the countermovement jump (CMJ) and split-squat jump (SSJ) across various loads within a set of high repetitions. Eleven collegiate track and field athletes who had several years of resistance training experience and were trained in the two types of jumps completed the study. The participants completed a familiarization session and 2 data collection sessions. The CMJ and SSJ were completed in random order during session 1 and 2 separated by a minimum of 72 hours. Three loads using dumbbells took place in random order with each session including body weight only (BW0), body weight plus 15% (BW15) and body weight plus 30% BW(30) for the SSJ and BW(0), BW(25), and BW(50) for the CMJ. PP was determined using the PUSH 2.0 3D accelerometer worn at the waist, which was connected to an ipad app using Bluetooth. The participants completed 14 repetitions each set with 8 min rest between sets. Repetition 3 demonstrated the highest mean PP (PPmax) within the set. No significant decrease in PP was observed until repetition 6 (3.6% below PPmax) during the SSJ and repetition 8 (5.2% below PPmax) during the CMJ. These data indicate that 5 or less repetitions should be completed during the CMJ and 7 or less for the SSJ when training for PP. Using 10% reduction in PP as an effective level to train for power endurance, we recommend completing a minimum of 12 repetitions during the CMJ and a minimum of 10 repetitions for the SSJ.