Resumen de Short-Term Effects on Lower-Body Functional Power Development: Weightlifting vs Vertical Jump Training Progrmams

Valmor Tricoli, Leonardo Lamas, Roberto Carnevale, Carlos Ugrinowitsch

• Among sport conditioning coaches, there is considerable discussion regarding the efficiency of training methods that improve lower-body power.

  Heavy resistance training combined with vertical jump (VJ) training is a well-established training method; however, there is a lack of information about its combination with Olympic weightlifting (WL) exercises. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the short-term effects of heavy resistance training combined with either the VJ or WL program. Thirtytwo young men were assigned to 3 groups: WL 5=12, VJ = 12, and control = 8. These 32 men participated in an 8-week training study. The WL training program consisted of 3 X 6RM high pull, 4 3 4RM power clean, and 4 3 4RM clean and jerk. The VJ training program consisted of 6 X 4 double-leg hurdle hops, 4 X 4 alternated single-leg hurdle hops, 4 X 4 single-leg hurdle hops, and 4 X 4 40-cm drop jumps. Additionally, both groups performed 4 X 6RM half-squat exercises. Training volume was increased after 4 weeks. Pretesting and posttesting consisted of squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) tests, 10- and 30-m sprint speeds, an agility test, a half-squat 1RM, and a clean-and-jerk 1RM (only for WL). The WL program significantly increased the 10-m sprint speed (p < 0.05). Both groups, WL and VJ, increased CMJ (p < 0.05), but groups using the WL program increased more than those using the VJ program. On the other hand, the group using the VJ program increased its 1RM half-squat strength more than the WL group (47.8 and 43.7%, respectively). Only the WL group improved in the SJ (9.5%). There were no significant changes in the control group.

  In conclusion, Olympic WL exercises seemed to produce broader performance improvements than VJ exercises in physically active subjects.