GAINcast Episode 262: The sprint lab (with Emily McClelland)

The SMU Locomotor Performance Lab is at the cutting edge of researching practical questions on sprinting and jumping. On this week’s GAINcast Emily McClelland joins us to discuss her latest research on vertical jumping and sex differences in short sprints.

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Emily McClelland is a PhD candidate at SMU’s Locomotor Performance Laboratory. Her research interest areas include the biomechanics of sprinting and jumping, and performance differences between men and women. Prior to her studies she was a softball player and then strength and conditioning coach at Bowling Green State University.

The following links were referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN. GAIN 2023 will take place from June 13 to 17 and registration is open.
• We are also sponsored by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• Learn about the Locomotor Performance Lab and read McClelland’s biography. You can also follow McClelland on Twitter (@emcclelland45).
• You can read more about her work on sex differences, vertical jump measurement methods, and run in jumps.
• Lab director Dr. Peter Weyand was also a guest on GAINcast 89, where he discussed his background and research on speed. Former lab member Ken Clark was also a guest on GAINcast 21 talking about linear speed, and HMMR Podcast 94 talking about multi-directional speed.

Key quotes and topics

• 0:00 – Introduction.
• 3:00 – McClelland’s background.
• 5:00 – The difference maker in good vertical jumps: “The question we wanted to answer for good jumpers was: are they maximizing the force or are they maximizing the time?”
• 8:00 – Comparing vertical jump testing methods: “Our research shows that Vertec vertical jump testing inflates the numbers by about six inches.”
• 10:00 – Force-time tracing. “What we’re seeing is that the high end athletes, they tend to maximize their force early, so they get up over their body weight as high as possible in that first eccentric part. And they get up high early and stay there. They maintain it throughout.”
• 12:00 – Training implications for vertical jumping
• 14:00 – Male-female differences in short sprints: “For those short sprints or short bursts, we’re really not that different.”
• 22:00 – Training implications of male-female differences
• 23:00 – Body composition and size.
• 25:00 – Male-female jump differences.

Complete transcript

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