THE EFFECT OF A CONTROLLED WEIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM ON THE VERTICAL JUMP Thesis for Him Dag-r939 a; M. A. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Thomas Donaid Weede- .1962 ,..- I _| ‘. {5:358 LIBRARY Michigan State University THE EFFECT OF A CONTROLLED WEIGHT T.IAINING PROGRAM ON THE WitTICAL JUMP by THOMXS DONALD VERDE AN -‘BSITEACT OF A T‘IE‘QIS submitted to the College of Education of Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF A? T9 Depazznent ‘5 Health, thsical Eiucation. and “ecreation ABSTRACT §tatement 25 the problem. This study was planned to investigate the effect of a controlled weight training program on vertical jumping ability. Methodology. Twelve Michigan State University varsity and freshmen basketball players, six from each team, were randomly selected to participate in this program. Six of these players, three from each team, went on an experimental weight training program, while the other six acted as their controls. The program was conducted four days per week during the basketball season, and three days per week there-after. The subjects in the eXperimental group executed a series of three exercises bouts each training period repeating each exercise six times, resting for one minute and then repeating the exercises. The exercises performed were the three-quarter squat, the heel raise, and the arm thrust. The subjects, both control and experimental, were tested one day each week in the vertical jump. Each subject would jump three times for maximum height and an average height was computed and compiled on a data sheet. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, Conclusions, Subject to the usual limitations of sample and type of training program the following con- clusion may be drawn. A controlled progressive weight training program over eighteen weeks significantly improves vertical jumping performance. THE EFFECT OF A CONTROLLED WEIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM ON THE VERTICAL JUMP by THOMAS DONALD VERDE A THESIS Submitted to the College of Education of Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation 1962 A 3‘. L V v . \. ‘\’ ‘\ ~ \ i‘d 9"} ., \.‘ \ s . ACKNOWLE DGzlllEN TS The writer wishes to express his appreciation to all the subjects Connected with this experiement. Their favorable reaction made it a complete success. Deep gratitude is extended to his advisor, Dr. Roy Neimeyer, for taking time to help iron out problems, Thanks go to Dr, Wayne Vanhuss for his interest and help. The author also wants to thank his wife, Cinna, for the endless hours of work she did in helping finish this study on time. T. D, W, TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION . o . . . o . o . . . 1 .Justification of the study . . . . . . 2 Limitations of the problem . . . . . . 2 Statement of the problem . . . . . . 3 Definations . . . .. . . . s . . 3 II, REVIEW 0? LITERATURE . . . . . . . . 5 III. METHODS OF RESEARCH . . . . . . . . 11 Source of Data . . . . . o o . . . 11 Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Experimental procedure . . . . . . 12 Equipment used . . . . . . . . . 18 Statistical technique . . . . . . . L3 1v, RESULTS AND ANALYSIS . . . . . . . 19 Analysis of data . . . . . . . . . 19 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 V, SUI-L‘MRY, CONCLUSIONS AND REOOIKNEI‘IDATIONS . , zu Summary 0 . . . . . . . 9 . o . 2“ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) CHAPTER PAGE V. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . 25 Recommendations . . . . . , . . . 25 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 iv LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. Analysis of Variance Results: Vertical Jumping Performance . , , . . . , . 22 FIGUP. E 1. Position for Heel Lift . 2. Position for Three-quarter Squat 3. Position for Arm Thrust 4, Safety Rack . 9 . . 5 LIST OF FIGURES 0 Weekly Average of vertical Jumping Ability vi PAGE 15 15 17 17 20 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Whenever something new is used by a coach and it pro- duces ;ood results other coaches are quick to copy the ideas. In the case of weight training, however, coaches have tended to be more reluctant. They have not taken at face value the facts that were placed before them. Weight training is now getting some of the recognition which has long been deprived. This could be due to the excellent research completed in recent years. Basketball coaches in particular have worried about their shooters getting "muscled up" because of weights. Few. if any. coaches were willing to risk losing a player's "shooting eye" for the sake of weight training. Coach Forrest "Forddy" Anderson, Michigan State University Basket- ball Coach, however, should receive much credit for the success of this present investigation, for having the faith in a controlled weight training program to allow members of his basketball team to participate in the programn A sufficient number of studies indicate that exercise will increase strength. and strength increases more rapidly when training with an overload.8 This research was primarily designed to improve the vertical jumping ability of the subjects used in this study, through the principles of a controlled weight training program. Justification 25 the study. Studies of this type have been done before in several ways. Steitz gave his athletes a five week program.11 Wickstrom gave his athletes a six week post season training period.13 Brown and Riley in a five week program used overall body-building exercises.16 While this researcher was interested only in those specific muscles used in the vertical jump, perhaps the most important aspect of the program.was its length. Most subjects have improved over the training periods they had. The wmiter wanted to find out if the improvement would last for eighteen weeks, The controlling of jump balls and the taking of rebounds, both offensively and defensively, are some of the most important parts of todays highly offensive basketball game. These and many other skills are taught by basketball coaches, but the one skill that is weak and can be improved is jumping ability. Limitations, The unavoidable limitations of this study were as follows: There was no control over the sleep, diet, or daily living habits of the subjects. The length of the program was eighteen weeks and the vertical jumping was still improving. Measurement data - the Sargent Jump was the only test used. Previous experience with weight training not a factor. I Study does not take into effect endurance. Individual body builds not a factor. The subjects were not motivated by remuneration. The number of subjects. Statement 2f the problem. The study was designed to study the effect of a controlled weight training program on the vertical jump. Definitions. 1. The term weight training as used in this study denotes a routine of three exercises performed with heavy barbells and dumbbells specifically for this study. The Sargent Jump consists of a vertical leap into the air, and is a test of the ability of the body to develop power in relation to the weight a of the individual. In this jump the individual swings his arms downward and backward, taking a crouched position with knees bent approximately at right angles. The subject pauses in this position to eliminate the possibility of a double jump, and leaps upward as high as possible, swinging the arms forcefully forward and upward. 3. The chalkmark jump was used to measure the height of each jump. it was operated as follows: (a) subject put chalk dust on his fingertips, (b) stood facing the jumping board and reached for maximum height; marked spot with dusted fingers, \c) then proceeded to jump touching board with chalked fingers at the height of the jump, (d) distance between the two chalk marks was measured in inches. The maximal reach for height was measured the first week of the program.only. It was felt by the researcher that the college age subjects growth would not be significant in eighteen weeks. CHAPTER 11 REVIEW OF LITERATURE Many coaches are still skeptical of the use of weights in precision sports such as basketball. Probably because of this, athletes feel the same way. Research is being completed each year to prove that a controlled weight training program will improve not only strength and power but also speed, endurance, and coordination. Sports College News9 reports research in which ver- tical jumping ability was increased eight inches after a weight training program. Seventeen athletes took part in a program in which two exercises were involved: (1) locked knee bouncing with weights, (2) fast deep knee bends with weights. The test used was the Sargent Jump. Athletes were measured three times before training to determine performance levels. They were tested once each week there- after until the end of the program. The highest increase was thirteen inches and the lowest five and one-half with the average being eight and one-half inches. The effect of a systematic weight program on athletic power is covered in a study by Chui.5 He used two groups of subjects in his study. Group A, comprised of twenty- three subjects who performed weight training exercises using barbells and dumbbells. Group B, comprised of twenty-two subjects did not engage in any form of weight training, but participated in the required physical education class at the University of Iowa. The program covered a three month period. The tests that were admin- istered to determine athletic power, were the Sargent Jump, standing and running broad jump, eight pound shot put from a stand, and the sixty yard dash. The summary indicates that Group A increased in athletic power while Group B did not show significant increases. Wilkin,14 in his study to determine the effect of weight training on speed of movement, used three groups of subjects. One group had no previous weight training, while the second group was composed of weight lifters from the University of California weight lifting team, and the third group was made up of students from swimming and golf classes who were not involved in any form of weight training. A test was devised in which arms and shoulders would be involved and speed of movement measured. The most significant results of the study were: 1. Weight training over a period of one semester has no slowing effect on speed of arm.movement. in this study. 2. The chronic weight lifter is not muscle bound in the sense that his Speed of movement is impaired. 3. A semester program of weight training does not increase speed of movement more than a semester of swimming and golf. Steitzll found after a five week program that the weight training group showed an increase of 2.9 inches in the vertical jump, while a controlled group showed an in- crease of .6 inches. The 2.9 increase showed a "t" of 8.7 which is significant beyond the .01 level of confidence. Ewing6 says results from weights so far have been encouraging. We are not certain that a good strong muscle is far from being a detriment to the athlete, and that muscle can be put into a body by the use of barbells and other resistance exercises quicker than by any other method. Burnham3 found after a six week program that the final results of the jump and reach test indicated that all ten of the boys had improved their jumping ability. The mean gain was 3.2 inches. Perhaps the most significant aspect of this study is revealed in the seasons statistics for 1958-59. The year before his team was out rebounded in twenty-three of twenty-five games. A year later, after the weight training program was initiated, the statistic was turned around and the team out rebounded twenty-three of their twenty-five opponents. "Should Athletes work With Weights".7 Absolutely! Much has been written about the weight training programs of outstanding athletes. The overall effect has been excellent, but unfortunately the emphasis has been wrongly placed. Instead of stressing the exercises, the writers had stressed the amount of weight used in theme The danger is obvious. The example of the champions might encourage the average athlete to use more weight that he should in the beginning, exposing him to some unp pleasant after-effects. The athlete must know exactly what he wants to accomplish, and then embark on an intelli- gent conditioning program. Thompson12 says that various studies have shown that participants in weight training have not only increased their strength and power, but have also increased their endurance and speed of movement. Perhaps the greatest asset of weight training is that susceptibility to injury is lessened. The strengthening of ligaments around joints and the general improvement of the musculature system enables the athlete to become better and stronger. Wickstrom13 found after a six week post season program there was an average increase of 1.5 inches in jumping height of the basketball players over their performance at the end of the season. The range was from 0 to 3.5 inches with no one decreasing in performance. Ten of the players who participated in this program were tested again upon returning to school. While they didn't achieve the same scores as at the end of the weight training program, in all but one of the cases, they did have the same jumping ability as measured at the end of the playing season. This level of retention of strength was indeed encouraging and a sign of the value of a post season weight training program. Despite a few problems, it has been observed that the players have better jumping power, fewer lower back pains and minor injuries, and probably because of being stronger have more confidence and are more aggressive. Nultonlo states that weight training using rather light weight is a builder of endurance and actually assists in improving the relationship between respiration and circulation. Exercises of great strain are builders of strength and power rather than endurance. Breathing is all important here. Never breathe during an exercise, it must either precede or follow it. Zorbas15 took a group of six hundred men and divided them into two groups of one hundred fifty each. One group consisted of men who never indulged in weight lifting and was used as a control group. The other group was composed of weight lifters who had participated in weight lifting for a minimum of six months and were still engaged in this activity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the effects of weight lifting were noticeable in the move- ments of particular muscle groups. The test given was a clockwise rotation of the arm. On the basis of the data it was evident that (l) the weight lifting group was faster in rotary motions of the arm than the non-lifters. In all related literature it was noted that no state- ments of harmful affects were attributed to weight training. An article by Sauter, Kirchner, and Heath17 showed significant gain, in the vertical jump, by a weight trained group after a nine week training period, The program was then-continued for three additional weeks, however, with no significant differences shown between groups. One of the recommendations of the study stated that "the relationship between mental fatigue and weight training over long periods of time should be investigated. It was indicated in informal discussions with the experimental group after the completion of the experiment that mental fatigue in relation to the weight training program was possibly becoming a factor late in the experiment." CHAPTER III METHODS OF RESEARCH The purpose of this study was to determine if a program of weight lifting exercises could be employed to a select group of Big 10 basketball players from Michigan State University and if it would improve their ability in the vertical jump. SOURCE OF DATA Subjects. Twelve basketball players, randomly selected, from Michigan State University acted as subjects. Six were from the varsity team and six from the freshman team. They were tested in vertical jumping ability before the weight program began and then paired by jumping ability. Varsity subjects were paired with one another, as closely as possible. as were the freshman subjects. One group. the experimental group, went on the controlled weight training program along with basketball practice. The other group. the control group, stayed only with basketball practice, and did not. to the writers knowledge, use any type of training other than this. When basketball season ended the control group had no 12 daily schedule unless the individuals participated in a spring sport. Experimgntgl procedure. All the boys on the weight program were trained during their free moments before basketball practice. They had to have their program complet~ ed before official practice began. When the playing season ended the players came in for their training in street clothes. The average length of time for one player to complete his program was four minutes. All of the boys were checked on their vertical jump- ing ability three times before the start of the program to determine their performance levels. Then the active group came in four days per week; Monday, TUesday, wednesday and Thursday for their training. On Thursday of each week both groups were tested on jumping ability. If there was a Monday game no program was held that day. Twice the varsity returned too late in the day from an away trip for the varsity players to participate.in the program. When the basketball season ended the active group came in only three days per week: Monday, Tuesday, and wednesday. The reason for this was so the program would seem like less of a drag since the season was over. This may not have been necessary because the improvement in vertical jumping seemed to keep interest high. 13 The program started with the beginning of the winter term, on January 11, 1962, and lasted for eighteen weeks. Hence, the basketball season was in full progress at the onset. There were ten days between winter and spring terms when players did not lift because they went to their homes for Easter vacation. Setting up the exercises for the program.proved to be no problem. The advice of Murray and Karpovich was taken whereby they stated, "though there is no unaminous agreement regarding the details of training, scientific study of weight lifting started only recently. and on a small. timid scale, more investigation is needed. There is no choice but to follow dogmatic rules set up by an experienced trainer of your choice."2 The medical consultant used for this study was Dr. James S. Feurig, M.D., Michigan State University Health Service, however, the original exercise program, which was modified by the writer, was set up by Dr. wayne D. vanHuss, Ph.D., Professor of Physical Education, Michigan State University. and he also served as an advisor on this program. Three exercises were used in the weight training program. The first was the heel lift. The subject placed the balls of his feet on a two inch thick board and with the barbells placed on his shoulders he would rise up on 14 his toes and go back down, six times. (Figure l) The second exercise was the three-quarter squat with the barbells placed on the shoulders. The subject would start down into the squat position and when his thighs were parallel with the floor he would go back up. It was found that the squats were performed best when the subject had his heels on the two inch thick board. This helped the boys keep their balance. This exercise was also done six times. (Figure 2) The third exercise used was the arm thrust with a dumbbell in each hand. Subjects.would stand erect with their arms at their sides and then lift the dumbbells forward, elbows stiff, until the dumbbells were completely over their head, then let them down again six times. (Figure 3, page 17) The subjects did six repetitions. two sets. That is, each exercise was done six times, and after a one minute rest period they were repeated six times. The ease with which the players could do this program.made it that much more favorable over its extended duration. When the program started the subjects were lifting approximately one-half of their body weight in the squat. and heel lift. Each day of lifting five pounds of weight was added to the bar. The weight was started this low so there would be no soreness in the legs. If any soreness 15 Figure l Figure 2 Position for Three Quarter Squat 16 came to the subjects legs he was given relief from the program until the soreness was gone. This only happened to two subjects and lasted only one day. If a subject missed a day of weights because of illness or some other reason his weight went up to the point where he would have been had he not missed the day. Paper bags were placed over the weights so the subject would never know how much weight he was lifting. It was felt the boys might not think they could lift the amount of weight on the bar knowing how much it was. The subjects started lifting ten pound dumbbells for the arm thrust. When the researcher felt the subject could handle the dumbbells easily, by the ease with which he did the exercise, two and one-half pounds were added to each one. This seemed to be enough weight to give substantial enough of a burden. No effort was made to disguise the amount of weight used in the thrust. A close check was kept on all the boys on the weight training program. The college health service took X-rays of their knees every forty-two days to make sure there was no slippage of the tibular tuberosity because of the tre- mendous strain put on them by the weights. Precautions were taken by the writer so that the danger of strain and injury might be avoided. A weight rack (Figure u) was made Figure 3 Position for Arm Thrust 17 18 to hold the barbells and in case the subject lost his balance while exercising the weights would be stopped and caught by the rack. It was emphasized to each subject the importance of keeping his ble straight to help prevent strain. All of the subjects individually, commented on the fact that they thought their backs were strengthened by the program. Equipment 2329' The equipment used included a set of barbells with approximately four hundred pounds of weights. Because of the tremendous amount of weight each subject was lifting it was necessary to add about one inch of sponge rubber to the bar so as not to hurt the shoulders of the boys. Several sets of dumbbells, of different weights, were used so an increase in weight could be used in the thrust. A safety rack was made to support the barbells in case the boys could not get up from a leg squat. They could go down a few inches lower and let the barbells off. 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