Plyometric and ballistic exercise
Countermovement Jump
Train and test elastic jumping power.
- Equipment
- None
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- X0X0
Setup
Open floor, optionally a jump mat or force plate to measure.
How to do it
- Dip fast, swing your arms and extend fully to jump as high as you can, then land under control.
- The speed of the dip is what makes it elastic - a slow countermovement turns it into a squat jump.
- Do 3 to 5 sets of 3 reps when fresh.
- It also works as a simple check on how fresh you are, so record your height if you can.
Coaching cues
- Fast dip - speed is the whole point
- Arms swing, extend fully
- Land under control
Common mistakes
- A slow countermovement, which removes the elastic component
- Doing it fatigued, which makes both the training and the test meaningless
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Bodyweight | 3 to 5 | 3 | 2 min |
Tempo X0X0: Every rep is fast: no slow lowering and no pauses.
Related exercises
- Broad JumpDevelop horizontal force production, which is what acceleration is made of.
- Trap Bar JumpGet a loaded triple-extension stimulus with a fraction of the coaching cost of a clean.
- Loaded Jump SquatExpress lower-body power under light external load.
- Depth JumpBuild top-end reactive strength through a fast stretch-shortening cycle.
- Hurdle HopBuild reactive strength and ankle stiffness for repeated cutting.
- Medicine Ball SlamExpress maximal whole-body intent safely with almost no technical demand.