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Jumping Performance

Jumping performance depends on lower body power, the ability of muscles to produce force quickly, which matters in basketball, volleyball and track and field. The evidence is strongest for creatine, which is linked to better vertical jumps, and caffeine, which supports muscle power output, while beta-alanine has moderate support. A small ginseng study of 20 people found a muscle-damage marker went down after jump drills, which says little about jump height.

Sources: PMID 22270875

Supplements studied
2
Graded outcomes
1
Trials
2
People studied
80

Evidence by supplement

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

2 supplements

Panax Ginseng (Korean Ginseng): outcomes studied for Jumping Performance
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Creatine Kinase

Moderate Decrease

Improves (the measure goes down)Moderate effect1 study20 people
Oxygen UptakeImproves (the measure goes up)2 studies20 people
Creatine: outcomes studied for Jumping Performance
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Power OutputImproves (the measure goes up)44 studies60 people

Key findings

  • Creatine KinasePanax Ginseng (Korean Ginseng)Improves (the measure goes down)

The Jumping Performance Enhancement protocol

2 primary supplements · 3 supporting supplements

  • Creatine MonohydrateLoading: 20 g/day for 5–7 days, then 3–5 g daily maintenance
  • Caffeine3–6 mg/kg body weight 30–60 minutes before performance

See the full protocol

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Studies cited

47 studies from PubMed

  1. Six weeks of Jilin ginseng root supplementation attenuates drop jump-related muscle injury markers in healthy female college studentsFood Funct · PMID 33507202
  2. Ginseng treatment improves psychomotor performance at rest and during graded exercise in young athletesInt J Sport Nutr · PMID 10660868
  3. Ginseng supplementation does not enhance healthy young adults' peak aerobic exercise performanceJ Am Coll Nutr · PMID 9791844
  4. Comparison of creatine monohydrate and carbohydrate supplementation on repeated jump height performanceJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 18545204
  5. Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Jumping Performance in Elite Volleyball PlayersInt J Sports Physiol Perform · PMID 21941005
  6. Oral creatine supplementation facilitates the rehabilitation of disuse atrophy and alters the expression of muscle myogenic factors in humansJ Physiol · PMID 11600695
  7. Resistance training with creatine monohydrate improves upper-body strength in patients with Parkinson disease: a randomized trialNeurorehabil Neural Repair · PMID 17312085
  8. Effects of acute creatine loading with or without carbohydrate on repeated bouts of maximal swimming in high-performance swimmersJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 15903360
  9. Creatine supplementation improves the anaerobic performance of elite junior fin swimmersActa Physiol Hung · PMID 19706374
  10. Low dose creatine supplementation enhances sprint phase of 400 meters swimming performanceJ Med Assoc Thai · PMID 16083193
  11. Effect of creatine on swimming velocity, body composition and hydrodynamic variablesJ Sports Med Phys Fitness · PMID 17369799
  12. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on single-effort sprint performance in elite swimmersInt J Sport Nutr · PMID 8876342
  13. Physiological responses to short-term exercise in the heat after creatine loadingMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 11445756
  14. Mg2+-creatine chelate and a low-dose creatine supplementation regimen improve exercise performanceJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 15142029
  15. Effects of creatine supplementation and three days of resistance training on muscle strength, power output, and neuromuscular functionJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 17685691
  16. Effect of caffeine ingestion after creatine supplementation on intermittent high-intensity sprint performanceEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 21207054
  17. The effects of four weeks of creatine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness: a randomized controlled trialJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 19909536
  18. Effects of high dose oral creatine supplementation on anaerobic capacity of elite wrestlersJ Sports Med Phys Fitness · PMID 14767410
  19. Effects of two and five days of creatine loading on muscular strength and anaerobic power in trained athletesJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19387386
  20. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1Mol Cell Endocrinol · PMID 20026378
  21. Effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and strength indices in experienced resistance trained womenJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 17194243
  22. Creatine as a metabolic controller of skeletal muscles structure and function in strength exercises in humansRoss Fiziol Zh Im I M Sechenova · PMID 16613062
  23. The effects of creatine supplementation on muscular performance and body composition responses to short-term resistance training overreachingEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 14685870
  24. Effects of creatine monohydrate and polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength, endurance, and power outputJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19387397
  25. Effect of different frequencies of creatine supplementation on muscle size and strength in young adultsJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 21512399
  26. The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strengthJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 23919405
  27. The effects of supplementation with creatine and protein on muscle strength following a traditional resistance training program in middle-aged and older menJ Nutr Health Aging · PMID 20126965
  28. Effect of thirty days of creatine supplementation with phosphate salts on anaerobic working capacity and body weight in menJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 18438234
  29. The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength and powerJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 21068676
  30. Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on neuromuscular functionMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 19727018
  31. Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletesInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 17136944
  32. Effects of four weeks of high-intensity interval training and creatine supplementation on critical power and anaerobic working capacity in college-aged menJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19675499
  33. Does nutritional supplementation influence adaptability of muscle to resistance training in men aged 48 to 72 yearsJ Geriatr Phys Ther · PMID 16236227
  34. Effect of creatine ingestion after exercise on muscle thickness in males and femalesMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 15595301
  35. Creatine monohydrate increases strength in patients with neuromuscular diseaseNeurology · PMID 10078740
  36. Creatine supplementation and physical training in patients with COPD: a double blind, placebo-controlled studyInt J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · PMID 18044100
  37. The Paradoxical Effect of Creatine Monohydrate on Muscle Damage Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSports Med · PMID 35218552
  38. Effects of creatine on body composition and strength gains after 4 weeks of resistance training in previously nonresistance-trained humansInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 14967873
  39. The effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation with and without D-pinitol on resistance training adaptationsJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19858753
  40. Creatine supplementation improves muscular performance in older womenEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 17943308
  41. Effects of creatine supplementation in taekwondo practitionersNutr Hosp · PMID 23822690
  42. Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetariansMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 14600563
  43. Creatine fails to augment the benefits from resistance training in patients with HIV infection: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studyPLoS One · PMID 19242554
  44. Effect of in-season creatine supplementation on body composition and performance in rugby union football playersAppl Physiol Nutr Metab · PMID 18059577
  45. The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levelsJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 19228401
  46. Creatine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, amino acids, and medium-chain triglycerides and endurance and performanceInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 19033611
  47. Comparison of creatine ingestion and resistance training on energy expenditure and limb blood flowMetabolism · PMID 11735088