The Assessment of Muscle Strength for Standing Long Jump and Vertical Jump: Focusing on Muscle-Strengthening Programs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Jeheon  Moon; Jiho  So; Youngju  Jeon; Sungmin   Kim

doi:10.18502/ijph.v54i11.20378

Jeheon Moon Department of Physical Education, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
Jiho So Digital Health Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Dae-jeon, Republic of Korea
Youngju Jeon Digital Health Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Dae-jeon, Republic of Korea
Sungmin Kim Institute of School Physical Education, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v54i11.20378

Keywords: Grip strength; Standing long jump; Vertical jump; Muscle strength; Meta-analysis; Training

Abstract

Background: Grip strength is often used as a proxy for systemic muscle strength due to its ease of measurement, but varying errors may occur due to measurement factors. Standing long jump and vertical jump are components of physical fitness, considered to reflect lower extremity muscle power. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the suitability of grip strength as a measure of muscle strength and its relationship to standing long jump and vertical jump performance following muscle-strengthening exercises.

Methods: Articles were selected using the PICOSD framework through a search of PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect up to Dec 6, 2024, including studies involving young, healthy adults, muscle strength improvement, and key terms such as grip strength, standing long jump, vertical jump, and resistance or plyometric training. Thirteen studies were included, comprising 496 participants. Effect sizes for grip strength, standing long jump, and vertical jump were calculated, with internal validity confirmed via publication bias and qualitative assessment.

Results: Meta-analysis of 13 articles with 32 data points revealed a significant improvement in grip strength after muscle-strengthening programs (I²=60%, P<.01), with an effect size (ES) of -1.36 (95% CI: -2.11, -0.62). However, standing long jump and vertical jump showed no significant differences post-training (long jump: I²=0%, P<.65; vertical jump: I²=4%, P<.41), with small effect sizes (long jump, ES: -0.28 [95% CI: -0.51, -0.05]; vertical jump, ES: -0.35 [95% CI: -0.52, -0.19]).

Conclusion: Grip strength is a more reliable indicator of muscle strength than standing long jump and vertical jump, which mainly assess muscle strength rather than muscle strength.