Effect of cluster sets on plyometric jump power.

Cluster sets may lead to enhanced power (PW) production by allowing for partial recovery. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of cluster sets vs. traditional sets on plyometric jump PW, ground reaction force, take-off velocity (TOV), and jump height (JH). Twenty-six recreationally trained college men completed 3 testing sessions, which involved performing repeated body-weight (BW) plyometric squat jumps across 3 different set configurations: traditional (2 sets of 10 with 90-second rest between sets), cluster 1 (4 sets of 5 with 30-second rest between sets), and cluster 2 (10 sets of 2 with 10-second rest between sets). Ground reaction force results demonstrated no interaction or main effect for condition, but there was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) main effect for repetition, where repetition 1 was significantly less than repetitions 3-5, 7-10, 12-15, and 17-20. For TOV, PW, and JH, there were significant interactions. Take-off velocity resulted in the following: Traditional, repetition 1 was significantly greater than repetitions 7-10 and 17-20, but was significantly less than repetition 13; cluster 1, repetition 1 was significantly less than repetitions 2-5; and cluster 2, there were no significant differences. Power resulted in the following: Traditional, repetition 1 was significantly greater than repetitions 4-10 and 14-20; cluster 1, repetition 1 was significantly greater than repetitions 7-10 and 12-20; and cluster 2, repetition 1 was significantly greater than repetitions 3, 6-18, and 20. Jump height resulted in the following: Traditional, repetition 1 was significantly greater than repetitions 18-20, but was significantly less than repetitions 3 and 13. For cluster 1 and cluster 2, there were no significant differences. These results demonstrate that cluster sets, specifically 10 sets of 2, allow for a greater maintenance of PW, TOV, and JH compared with a traditional 2 sets of 10 when performing repeated BW plyometric squat jumps. A lack of training data precludes definitive recommendations; however, based on these data, coaches should have their athletes perform 2-5 jumps with 27-45 seconds of rest, respectively.