Do Squats Make You Jump Higher?

Answering a common question + tips on deeper squats and using plyometrics for strength.

This week we’re discussing squat strength. There are a few solid resources to share, and there’s a new video on why plyometrics are so important for developing leg strength. Please fill out the survey to let us know what you’d like us to cover next week. As we finish the year, we want to make sure we’re giving you the most helpful resources possible.

This Week’s Resources

Plyometrics for Squat Strength

Here’s a new video released with the help of one of our powerlifting coaches. It focuses on why it pays to train with powerful motions, especially for squat.

Do Squats Make You Jump Higher?

The squat is a staple exercise among all strength and conditioning programs. This is because the squat has been shown to be one of the best exercises for building both lower body strength and mass.

But, does the squat make you jump higher? The short answer is yes.

Building strength in the squat has been shown to increase vertical jump performance by 12.4% after only 8 weeks of squat training. When comparing the squat with other lower body exercises, such as the leg press, the squat is 3.5X more effective in increasing jump results.

When you improve your rate of force development, you become more explosive because you're able to develop larger forces in a shorter period of time.

Powerlifters train squat strength, here's why that helps vertical jumps too.

There are only two ways that have been shown to improve rate of force development:

  1. Resistance training (using barbells and dumbbells to get stronger)

  2. Ballistic training (using various jumping exercises with the intent to ‘move quickly')

This brings us to the first reason why squats improve jump performance:

When training squats, you need to think about having a high intent to move the barbell quickly out of the bottom range of motion. If you don't think about ‘moving the barbell quickly', then you won't be successful in lifting the weight. Thus, squats can increase your rate of force development (especially heavy squats).

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Don’t Ignore This Stabilization Squat Cue

Coach Lucero covers the importance of foot pressure and how gripping the floor with your toes can increase your contact with the ground, leading to a more solid and controlled squat. Learn why this cue works for lifters with both flat feet and high arches, and how it helps you recruit the right muscles for a stronger lift.

9 Tips to Squat Deeper (And Advice from the Pros)

We have a full guide with nine tips to squat deeper. This includes advice from pros. I wanted to include at least one of those tips right here. Make sure to check out the full guide to see the rest.

If you have tight hips, then when you squat deeper your pelvis will fail to maintain a neutral position.

With tight hips, as you increase the range of motion, your pelvis will ‘dump under you' and your lower back will start to round (a common squat mistake). This is known as a ‘posterior pelvic tilt' or ‘butt wink'. The result is that the sheer force of the squat shifts to your lumbar spine (lower back). So not only will your hips feel restricted by going deeper, it can actually lead to injury over time.

Here's a quick test to determine if you have tight hips:

  • Lie with your back on the floor

  • Bring your knees to your chest by bending your hips and knees

  • Keep your tailbone, upper back, and head on the floor

  • Try not to grab your knees. Just use the strength of your hips to bend them upward

  • See if you can bend your hips past 90 degrees by keeping the points of contact on the floor.

If you can, great, working on hip mobility won't likely help you squat any deeper. That’s when you’ll want to try one of the other methods. . . like pause squats.

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