Relationships Between Gastrocnemius Medialis Muscle Architecture, Vertical Stiffness, and Vertical Jump Performance in Track and Field Athletes

Background and Objectives: Gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle architecture and vertical stiffness have been associated with vertical jump performance, but their relationships across jumping tasks with different stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) demands have not been well characterized. This exploratory study aimed to characterize the relationships of GM muscle architecture and Kvert with vertical jump performance in collegiate track and field athletes.

Methods

Thirteen athletes (age: 21.62 ± 2.60 years; height: 1.82 ± 0.06 m; body mass: 74.72 ± 8.72 kg) completed squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 30-cm drop jump (DJ-30) tests. GM muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA), and estimated fascicle length (FL) were assessed using ultrasonography, and vertical stiffness (Kvert) was calculated from the CMJ.