The Challenge:

Competitors will attempt their highest possible vertical jump.

• Up to 3 attempts
• Height measured by a jump mat, which measures the athlete’s time in the air
• Points awarded to athlete with the longest airtime, indicating the highest jump

The Why:

This challenge tests lower body power. In sports, it is important for athletes to be able to express their strength as quickly as possible – their rate of force development, or power. RFD represents the connection between strength and speed. The more explosive you are, the better you will perform.

Our jump mat is provided by Dr. Carlos Reyes of Reyes Performance Institute. Carlos is a friend of ASF and has helped many of our clients and staff stay healthy and perform better. 

The Work:

To excel at this event, you must improve your rate of force development, as well as your max lower body strength. Rate of force development (RFD) is the ability of the muscles to generate force rapidly within a short period. As you get stronger, your potential to produce force increases, which combined with speed can lead to a higher RFD. Once you are strong enough – which is key – you can start incorporating specific training modalities to increase your lower body power.

Build your lower body strength with:

• Squats 
  • Full range of motion and top range of motion
• Deadlifts 
  • Deficit and conventional, low handle trap bar

Build your explosive power with:

• Dynamic Effort or Speed Squats 
  • You can do this with bands or chains if applicable 
• Dynamic Effort or Speed Squats with straight weight
  • Aim to move the bar as fast as possible 
• Lower Body Plyometrics
• Box Jumps  

Athletes who will have a competitive advantage in this event:

• Basketball players
• Track & field (sprinters and jumpers)
• Volleyball players
• Football players

Click here to register for the Games!