§ 01
Power & Endurance
Clinical fitness assessment

Vertical Jump

Measure lower body explosive power — used in athletic populations and general fitness.

Equipment

Wall-mounted jump board (Vertec) or wall with chalk. Alternatively a jump mat.

The protocol
  1. 01Client stands side-on to the wall, dominant hand closest.
  2. 02With feet flat on the floor, reach up as high as possible with the dominant hand. Mark or note the standing reach height.
  3. 03Client then jumps as high as possible from a standing position (countermovement allowed — squat down and swing arms).
  4. 04Mark the highest point touched at the peak of the jump.
  5. 05Jump height = peak height minus standing reach height.
  6. 06Allow 3 attempts with 30 seconds rest between. Record the best.
What to watch for
  • Not reaching at full extension during standing reach (inflates the result).
  • Taking a step before jumping (should be from a standing position).
  • Not fully extending at the peak of the jump.
Normative scoring

Men (18-30): >70 cm excellent, 56-70 cm above average, 41-55 cm average, <41 cm below average. Women (18-30): >55 cm excellent, 41-55 cm above average, 31-40 cm average, <31 cm below average.

Run it with GainPT

Run this test with branded client reports.

GainPT scores Vertical Jump against published normative data and turns it into a clean, GainPT-branded PDF your client keeps. All 47 clinical tests, unlimited retests — free to start, no card required.