I spend an inordinate amount of time highlighting the benefits of compensatory acceleration and its impact on sports performance here at Power Athlete and in our training programs. But what about the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC)?

If you’re unfamiliar, the SSC is the pre-stretch action in movements like jumping that helps athletes generate more force and move faster. This happens through a combination of elastic energy stored in the tendons and the active state of the muscle. Simply put, athletes need to jump, and any performance based program must include plyometrics and jumps. Plyos build muscular strength and improve the rate of force development, which directly translates to better athletic performance.

The stretch shortening cycle (SSC) is the spring-like action of muscles where an eccentric contraction is followed by a concentric contraction. The SSC is akin to compressing a spring. The more force that is applied to the spring the more the spring compresses – this results in a more explosive movement. Athletes using a countermovement jump with a pre-stretch or pre-load will consistently jump higher than athletes jumping from a static position.

There are 3 main mechanisms that make the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) such an effective way to boost athletic performance.

Stored Elastic Energy

During the eccentric phase, elastic energy is stored in the tendons and muscles, much like a compressed spring. When the muscle travel into the concentric phase, this stored energy is released, applying force to the movement. This extra force is one reason why athletes are able to jump higher or move more explosively after a countermovement or counter jump.

Neurological Response

The SSC triggers reflex actions in the nervous system that aid in movement efficiency. When the muscle undergoes a quick stretch, muscle spindles are activated, sending signals to the CNS. These signals create a contraction, which enhances the power output of the muscle. This response demands the muscles react more powerfully after the stretch.

Active State

The active state refers to the readiness of the muscle to produce force. When a muscle is pre-loaded, it reduces the delay in force generation. In the SSC, the muscle is already partially engaged during the eccentric phase, which helps shorten the time it takes to produce maximum force during the concentric contraction. This leads to quicker, more powerful movements that benefit performance in explosive actions like jumping or sprinting. In other words, increasing force will lead to improvements in power output which translates to greater athletic performance.

Each of these mechanisms works together to make the SSC one of the most effective ways to enhance speed and athleticism. Just  takes some simple understanding of the mechanism and application to bias it in the training programs on Power Athlete.