Depth Jump: Unleash Power with This Explosive Exercise!

The depth jump is a plyometric exercise used by elite athletes to build explosive strength. It involves dropping off a plyo box. Upon hitting the ground, you jump upwards and sometimes forward, depending on your training objective.

Depth jumps were first introduced in the 20th century by Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky, one of the most well-known sports scientists in the Soviet Union. In his “shock method” training system, he classified depth jumps as an intensive plyometric exercise.

As a tribute to this legendary exercise scientist, I created this in-depth guide covering the basics, its technique, implementation tactics, and much more.

How To Do a Depth Jump

Here is how to do a depth jump properly:

Step One — Set Up the Plyo Box and Stand on It

Pick a plyo box of appropriate height and place it before you. Stand on the box with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart. Brace your core for landing. Also, keep your spine neutral and your eyes looking slightly down and straight ahead.

Step Two — Drop to the Ground

Stand on the box with one foot in the air and slightly off the edge, ready to drop. Initiate the fall with the hovering foot, landing on the floor with both feet together.

Lower into a quarter squat on touchdown and extend your arms slightly behind you as you go down, setting up for the next jump.

The bottom position is highly individual, but somewhere between the half-squat and quarter-squat is optimal for most people.

Step Three — Initiate Triple Extension and Jump off the Ground

As quickly as possible, reverse the movement by initiating a rapid triple extension: extend your ankles, knees, and hips, and jump off the ground as high as possible.

Step Four — Finish With a Soft Landing

Land softly on the balls of your feet and lower into a quarter squat. From the bottom position, stand tall.

Climbed the elevated surface again and repeat the whole sequence of movements for the next repetition.

Muscles Worked

The primary muscles involved are the quads, gluteus maximus, and calves.

The secondary muscles that work include the hamstrings, hip flexors, erector spinae, and core musculature.

How Do You Determine the Proper Box Height for a Depth Jump?

There is more than one viable approach to determining the proper box height for a depth jump. We want a box height that allows us to jump as high as our normal vertical jump, with the goal of eventually jumping up to 1.5 times higher.

Here is a simple procedure to determine the maximum height for the depth jump.

Step One — Perform a Standing Jump-And-Reach

Measure how high you can jump and reach from a standstill. You should stand shoulder-width apart, squat slightly, and explode up, reaching for the preset target. You are not allowed to walk forward before jumping.

Step Two — Perform a Depth Jump

Perform a depth jump from a box at a 61 cm height for males and 46 cm for females. After takeoff, reach as high as possible, aiming to match your previous jump-and-reach height.

Step Three — Increasing the Height

If you successfully complete the previous task, you may proceed to a taller box. Increase the box height in 15 cm increments.

Step Four — Repeat Steps Two and Three

Keep repeating steps two and three until you can’t hit the height you reached in your standing jump-and-reach test. The last box height you used successfully is where you should start for your depth jump exercises.

How to Approach Depth Jumps in Your Workouts

Always perform depth jumps toward the beginning of your workouts. This is simply because depth jumps require your central nervous system (CNS) to be fresh and your energy levels to be high.

This is especially true for muscle glycogen and creatine-phosphate.

Muscle glycogen is obtained by eating nutritious and slow-digesting carbohydrates at least 1.5 or 2 hours before a workout.

Creatine phosphate is only available through supplements. However, you should use creatine monohydrate as it is the most well-studied and reliable form. (1)

Beginners should start with one or two depth jump sessions per week to optimize recovery.

This is why I generally recommend progressing by increasing the box height, introducing unilateral movements into your workouts, adding external resistance, or performing more demanding depth jump variations.

Depth Jumps For Performance Enhancement

In a YouTube Video, Ben Simons (MSc. Sports Science) and Mark Bell (professional powerlifters) talk about depth jump training for a performance boost.

“The depth jump is not the best place for people to start. It is more intense than it looks. It’s a lot of force on your body. It’s hugely intense, and it’s a lot of impact. However, the depth drops are a much safer and better place to start. Don’t stick the landing, but aim to decelerate the landing as quickly as possible. It will still kick off the stretch reflex.”

Depth Jumps vs. Box Jumps: What Is the Difference?

The primary difference between depth jumps and box jumps is the landing impact. Depth jumps are much harder and more demanding on your muscles and joints than box jumps.

Additionally, depth jumps require both eccentric (lowering) and concentric (jumping) phases, while box jumps primarily focus only on the concentric phase. The landing impact is much lower during box jumps since height negates the effects caused by gravity.

In plyometric training, box jumps are a foundational exercise that can prepare you for more advanced movements like depth jumps. Depth jumps are also much better at developing reaction speed and explosive strength than box jumps.

Benefits of Depth Jumps

Here are the advantages of adding this exercise to your arsenal:

Explosive Strength Development

Depth jumps are one of the best tools for developing explosive strength. They have been used for decades by athletes to develop more power and reaction speed. The secret primarily lies in learning to properly use a phenomenon called myotatic (stretch) reflex. (2)

Basically, when your muscles stretch beyond a certain point, they are governed by myotatic reflex, which causes them to shorten rapidly. Depth jumps improve explosive strength by increasing tendon stiffness and enhancing central nervous system responses.

Improving the Stiffness of Your Joints

Depth jumps are excellent for improving joint stiffness. Agile joints, more precisely tendons that quickly return to their original shape after being stretched, are a cornerstone of every explosive strength athlete. This is essentially free energy stored in your tendons, and the better you learn to use it, the more vertical jump height you gain during depth jumps.

Enhanced Jumping Ability

Depth jumps directly impact your jumping ability and positively correlate with vertical jump height. This is primarily because you learn to use the myotatic reflex properly, improve tendon health, evoke central nervous system adaptations, and develop fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Depth Jump Variations

Below are the best depth jump variations you must try:

Eccentric Depth Jumps

Eccentric depth jumps are especially important for teaching your body how to properly absorb the force from landing. If you can’t absorb the force during the landing, you won’t be able to produce it during the jumping phase.

Steps:

1. Perform the first two steps from the depth jump guide above.
2. As you lower into the squat position, aim to absorb as much force with the eccentric phase of your muscles as possible.
3. Hold the bottom position for one second and repeat all steps for the next rep.

Depth Broad Jumps

Depth broad jumps are excellent for teaching your body how to convert vertical force absorbed into a powerful forward horizontal jump.

Steps:

1. Stand on the poly box with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart.
2. Drop from the box on the ground.
3. As you lower into the squat position, slightly tilt your body forward.
4. This tilt will cause a subtle shift in the force direction, allowing you to change the direction of your jump from vertical to horizontal.
5. Perform a broad jump, covering the biggest horizontal distance possible.
6. Land softly into the squat position and stand tall to finish the repetition.

Weighted Depth Jump

The weighted depth jump is a progressive exercise that can be implemented after you master the bodyweight depth jump variation.

Steps:

1. Wear a weighted vest and perform all the same steps from our depth jump guide above.
2. Start lighter and progress to bigger weights as you become stronger, more explosive, and more efficient.

FAQs

What is the average height for a depth jump?

The average box height for a depth jump is 61 cm for males and 46 cm for females.

Can depth jumps improve vertical jump height?

Yes, depth jumps will undoubtedly increase your vertical jump height. They are one of the most widely used tools for improving vertical jump height among athletes.

What is the difference between depth drop and depth jump?

The depth drop is limited to the dropping phase of the depth jump. This is when you drop off the box and land in the squat position. After that, there is no jumping phase.

Wrapping Up

The depth jump is one of the best tools for developing explosive strength and response time. For maximal athletic development, combine plyometric exercises such as depth jumps with targeted strength training movements like barbell back squats.

I don’t recommend doing depth jumps more than twice a week unless you are a trained athlete. In the comments below, let me know your thoughts on depth jumps and how you implement them in your plyometric workout sessions.

References:

1. Cooper R, Naclerio F, Allgrove J, Jimenez A. Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012;9(1):33. Published 2012 Jul 20. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-9-33
2. Bhattacharyya KB. The stretch reflex and the contributions of C David Marsden. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2017;20(1):1-4. doi:10.4103/0972-2327.199906

Read also:

• 10 Best Plyometric Exercises to Build Explosive Power

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