Monitoring Fatigue With the CMJ: Use the Average, Not the Best Jump

Plenty of coaches have athletes do a few jumps before training to check how fresh they are. But which number do you write down — the best jump or the average? According to a 2017 meta-analysis of 151 studies, the average jump height is more sensitive to fatigue and supercompensation than the best jump.

What the study looked at

Claudino and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that used the countermovement jump (CMJ) to monitor neuromuscular status — fatigue, and supercompensation after training.

Across jump height, power, velocity and force variables, they compared how well the best value and the average value from multiple jumps captured change.

Key findings

151 studies and 531 effect sizes were included
85.4% of studies used the best value; only 13.2% used the average
Even so, average CMJ height was more sensitive than the best value for detecting both fatigue and supercompensation
Peak power, mean power, peak velocity and peak force were also useful for tracking supercompensation

In other words, the "best attempt" that most practitioners and researchers default to may not be the best way to see small day-to-day changes.

How to read this in practice

Have athletes jump several times and record the average to make it harder to miss a change in readiness
The best value reflects the maximum an athlete can produce that day, but it can be inflated by one lucky jump; the average better reflects overall state
Comparisons are only meaningful if warm-up, time of day and jump instructions are standardized

The included studies varied in equipment, protocols and populations, so this paper cannot tell you the ideal number of jumps or other procedural details.

Using ATHCON

ATHCON stores fitness test results for each athlete, including jumps, and shows the change from the previous test and where each athlete sits within the team. Lining up results collected under the same conditions makes changes easier to spot.

The daily wellness check-in (sleep, fatigue, soreness and more) is compared with each athlete's own 14-day baseline and classified into four levels, so you can read jump data and how athletes feel side by side.

Takeaways

For CMJ monitoring, average jump height is more sensitive than the best jump
85.4% of studies used the best value anyway
Standardize conditions; the paper does not define an ideal protocol