Graduate Program

Kinesiology and Sports Studies

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

Summer 2021

Thesis Director

John D. (Jake) Emmett

Thesis Committee Member

Maranda D. Schaljo

Thesis Committee Member

Brian L. Pritschet

Abstract

Vertical jump (VJ) is a strong determinant of explosive power in the trained and untrained population. There is agreement among the literature that vertical jump training can be improved through progression in specific training related to vertical jump. For example, plyometrics is a widely studied training method for increasing VJ, and has been generally accepted method for increasing VJ. Within the literature, training methods are continually being studied to improve athletic performance. Exploration of improvements outside of resistance training can provide further insight on enchancing athletic performance. The present study examined the acute impact of stair climbing (SC) on VJ. Twenty college age (23 ± 2.3 years) males (N=9) and females (N=11) completed two separate appointments assessing 1 rep max (RM) and VJ. The first appointment assessed lower limb strength with a 1 RM leg assessment using ACSM guidelines. The second appointment involved a pre-VJ measurement, a SC session, and a post-VJ measurement. The SC session was broken into five 1 minute intervals at a rate of 89 steps per minute (SPM). After each 1 min interval, the participant rested for 2 minutes. After the SC intervention, VJ measurements were taken again. For the VJ-SC analysis, a two way ANOVA revealed significant increases in VJ after SC in males (VJ 24.85±3.46 in., VJ-SC 26.01±3.72 in.; p = .0001) and females (VJ 18.21±2.66 in., VJ-SC 18.85±2.69 in.; p=.0249). It was concluded that an acute stair climbing session is an effective warm up modality for improving average VJ height in college aged males and females.

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