A biomechanical comparison of the vertical jump, power clean, and jump squat

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the kinetics, kinematics, and muscle activation patterns of the countermovement jump, the power clean, and the jump squat with the expectation of gaining a better understanding of the mechanism of transfer from the power clean to the vertical jump. Ground reaction forces, electromyography, and joint angle data were collected from 20 trained participants while they performed the three movements. Relative to the power clean, the kinematics of the jump squat were more similar to those of the countermovement jump. The order in which the ankle, knee, and hip began extending, as well as the subsequent pattern of extension, was different between the power clean and countermovement jump. The electromyography data demonstrated significant differences in the relative timing of peak activations in all muscles, the maximum activation of the rectus femoris and biceps femoris, and in the activation/deactivation patterns of the vastus medialis and rectus femoris. The greatest rate of force development during the upward phase of these exercises was generated during the power clean (17,254 [Formula: see text]), which was significantly greater than both the countermovement jump (3836 [Formula: see text]) and jump squat (3517 [Formula: see text]) conditions (P < .001, [Formula: see text]).

Keywords: electromyography; kinematic; kinetic; rate of force development; weightlifting.