How to Jump Higher: Accentuated Eccentrics

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Holding weight in the hands and dropping it before going upwards in a jump is known as Accentuated Eccentric Loading.  Compared to normal body weight jumping, this method proves to be more effective.

Short-term:

In elite male volleyball players, block jumps were performed at Body Weight and with a 20kg eccentric load.  The body weight jumps were performed normally.  The Eccentric Loading jumps were performed where the eccentric phase was completed with 10kg plates (in each hand) and dropped before jumping.  Peak power (+9.4%) and jump height (+4.3%) were improved with Accentuated Eccentrics compared to Body Weight jumping [1].

Accentuated Eccentrics increase jump height

In strength-trained athletes, drop jumps were performed with no additional load, or an accentuated eccentric load (10%, 20%, and 30% body weight load).  Subjects held dumbbells in the hands and dropped them before jumping.  Following the drop jumps, vertical jump performance was measured.  The 20% body weight load lead to the greatest increase in peak power and jump performance [2].

Accentuated Eccentrics with 20% BW load lead to the largest increase in jump height

Long-term:

In sixteen high-performance volleyball players, Accentuated Eccentrics (AE) (40kg – male, 20kg – female) were compared to normal Body Weight (BW) jumps over the span of five weeks (three workouts per week) [3].  Results were as follows:

  • Countermovement Jump Displacement decreased 2% in BW and increased 11% in AE.
  • Peak Velocity  decreased 3% in BW and increased 16% in AE.
  • Peak Power increased in both groups (1% in BW and 20% in AE).

Accentuated Eccentrics are superior to Body Weight for jump height, peak velocity, and peak power after five weeks of training

Takeaway

Accentuated Eccentric Loading can lead to short- and long-term gains in vertical jump.  I suggest using this method pre-training as a Nervous System Warm-Up:

For Vertical Jump Protocol and Hypertrophy Cluster Protocol, replace your CNS Warm-Up jumps with Accentuated Eccentrics some of the time.  The greater eccentric loading, novel stimulus, and higher coordination demand could lead to new improvements in jump height.

REFERENCES

[1] Sheppard, J., Newton, R., & McGuigan, M. The effects of accentuated eccentric load on jump kinetics in high-performance volleyball players. (2007). International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2, 267-73.

[2] Bridgeman, L. A., McGuigan, M. R., Gill, N. D., Dulson, D. K. (2017). The effects of accentuated eccentric loading on the drop jump exercise and the subsequent postactivation potentiation response. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(6), 1620-26.

[3] Sheppard, J., Hobson, S., Barker, M., Taylor, K., Chapman, D., McGuigan, M., & Newton, R. (2008). The effect of training with accentuated eccentric load countermovement jumps on strength and power characteristics of high-performance volleyball players. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, DOI: 10.1260/174795408786238498

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