Jumping to Conclusions: What Your Jumps Say About Your Performance (and Why You Should Care)

From the ground up, your body is telling a story every time you leap. Vertical, broad, or lateral—your jumps are more than flashy party tricks. They’re your athletic fingerprint.

A volleyball player mid-air during a spike—capturing the raw expression of vertical power, precision, and explosive coordination in sport.

✋ Wait—Jumps? At My Age?

Yes. Jumps.

Before your knees start shaking (literally or figuratively), let’s clear something up: jumping doesn’t mean leaping onto a six-foot box like a caffeinated 22-year-old. At Fitfty, we’re not chasing Instagram tricks. We’re chasing performance intelligence—and jump tests are some of the most revealing tools you can use.

Jumping is a test of power, coordination, and athletic aging. How high you jump, how far you jump, and how well you land—all of that tells a story about your body’s readiness, resilience, and ability to respond under pressure.

And the best part? You don’t need fancy gear or a PhD in biomechanics to get useful data from it.

🧬 Why Jump Tests Work (Even When You’re Over 40)

Jumping distills complex human movement into a single, explosive expression of force. It’s like squeezing orange juice—what you get out is pure, concentrated performance.

Let’s break it down:

• Strength + Speed = Power. And power is what gets you off the ground.

• Coordination + Control = Safe Landings. It’s not just about the take-off—how you land tells us just as much.

• Consistency + Symmetry = Health. Uneven effort or variable outcomes might indicate fatigue, imbalance, or something deeper.

Most performance metrics decline gradually with age. Power? That drops fast. Research shows explosive power declines by up to 10% per decade after age 40—faster than strength or endurance. [1] That’s why maintaining and testing it matters.

🏋️‍♂️ Vertical Jump: The Classic Test of Explosive Power

Let’s start with the one most people know: the vertical jump. It’s a measure of how high you can leap straight up from a standstill—and it’s as raw as it gets.

What It Measures:

• Neuromuscular efficiency: How quickly your brain tells your muscles to fire

• Lower-body power: Especially in the glutes, quads, and calves

• Elastic energy: Your tendons’ ability to absorb and release force

• Fast-twitch muscle recruitment: The kind that keeps you quick on your feet

Why It’s Useful for 40+:

• Declining jump height often correlates with slowed reaction time and reduced mobility [2]

• Great for tracking training progress—add strength or speed work, and jump height improves

• A drop in performance can flag fatigue, injury risk, or overtraining

🧪 Average Scores (Age 40–59):

• Men: 16–22 inches

• Women: 12–16 inches

📎 Study Check: A 2021 study found a strong link between vertical jump height and sprint performance in older adults, showing that “power testing remains valid and valuable across the aging spectrum.” [3]

🛫 Broad Jump: Horizontal Power and Posterior Chain Strength

In 2015, NFL player Byron Jones recorded a broad jump of 12 feet, 3 inches, breaking the world record by 1 inch. The record stands to this day.

Now let’s talk distance. The broad jump (a.k.a. standing long jump) measures how far forward you can launch yourself from a standing start. It’s simple—but deceptively rich in data.

What It Measures:

• Posterior chain dominance: Glutes, hamstrings, and spinal stabilizers

• Hip hinge power: A foundation of functional movement

• Coordination + landing control

• Forward acceleration potential: Think of the first steps of a sprint or a burst to catch a falling toddler (we’ve all been there)

Why It Matters:

• The broad jump has strong correlations with sprint speed and athletic explosiveness [4]

• For older adults, it reflects posterior chain engagement—critical for avoiding lower back pain and falls

• It can identify asymmetries in power output between legs

🧪 Testing Tips:

• Measure from toes at take-off to heel at landing

• Perform 2–3 reps and record the best one

• Note balance and landing quality—not just distance

📎 Study Check: One study in The Journal of Aging and Physical Activity noted that “broad jump performance strongly associates with walking speed and lower extremity strength in middle-aged and older adults.” [5]

🌀 Lateral Jumps: The Most Overlooked—and Arguably Most Important—Test

Most people think forward. Some think up. But very few think sideways.

That’s a problem—because real life happens in all directions. You step to the side to avoid someone, reach for a falling mug, or change direction playing with your dog. If you can’t do that well? That’s where injuries sneak in.

What It Measures:

• Frontal plane force production

• Hip stability and glute med strength

• Balance, coordination, and dynamic proprioception

• Single-leg power and control

Why This Is HUGE After 40:

• Lateral agility plummets faster than linear speed with age [6]

• Lateral jump tests can reveal asymmetries or weaknesses that other jumps miss

• It’s a major tool for injury prevention, especially for knees and hips

🧪 Simple Lateral Jump Drill:

• Stand on one leg, jump sideways, land on the opposite foot

• Measure distance or time sustained hopping

• Focus on soft, controlled landings

📎 Study Check: A 2023 meta-analysis found that lateral movement competency was a predictor of ACL injury risk and fall risk in both athletes and older adults. [7]

📉 What Happens to Jumps with Age (And Why You Can Reverse It)

Let’s be honest. Power output does decline with age. But it’s not just about muscle—it’s about how fast your nervous system can activate what’s left.

Here’s what research tells us:

• Power declines 2x faster than strength after 40 [8]

• Falls in older adults are often preceded by a decline in lateral and vertical movement capacity [9]

• Power training (even light-load jump work) can improve balance, coordination, and reaction time in as little as 6 weeks [10]

In other words: the drop-off is real—but it’s not irreversible. That’s what Fitfty is all about.

🏗️ How to Train (and Improve) Your Jumps After 40

Jump training doesn’t mean reckless plyometrics. For the 40+ crowd, it means targeted, smart movement with intent.

✅ Fitfty-Friendly Jump Progressions:

1. Marching + skipping drills

2. Low box step-offs with fast rebounds

3. Mini broad jumps with controlled landings

4. Vertical jumps with arm swings (no max effort yet)

5. Lateral skater hops with pauses

6. Seated jumps (removes the stretch reflex)

🧠 Rule of thumb: Start slow. Prioritize control. Power comes from precision.

🧠 What Jump Data Tells You (That Other Metrics Don’t)

• Feeling slow lately? Check your vertical jump.

• Not accelerating like you used to? Broad jump’s your clue.

• Wobbly on uneven ground? Lateral jump just raised a flag.

• Progress plateaued? Retesting jumps can show if your nervous system is still adapting.

Track your jumps monthly. It takes 10 minutes, no equipment, and gives you insights more valuable than any smartwatch.

🏁 Final Thoughts: What Goes Up, Comes Down—With Wisdom

Jumping is the language of power, and power is the language of youth. But here’s the twist: you can still speak it fluently after 40.

Every jump—whether it’s a foot off the floor or just a few inches—is a defiant act. It tells gravity, “Not today.” It tells your body, “We’re not done.” And it tells your mind, “You’re still sharp.”

So yes, at Fitfty, we believe in walking, lifting, recovering, eating well—and yes, jumping.

Because your body is still listening. You just need to give it a reason to leap.

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👟 Next Steps: What You Can Read Next 👇

→ Still Lifting: The Real Reason Deadlifts Endure from Youth to 60+

→ Move Like You Mean It 🕺💥: The 7 Primal Patterns Your Body Was Built For

→ Are They Built Different? What We Can (Actually) Learn from the Superhuman Few

→ The New Face of Mortality: Are We Truly Healthier?

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📚 References

1. Runge, M. et al. (2004). “Power decline in aging humans: A cause of falls?” Gerontology.

2. Bosco, C. et al. (1983). “Neuromuscular characteristics and vertical jump performance.” Biology of Sport.

3. Thomas, C. et al. (2021). “Vertical Jump as a Predictor of Functional Performance in Aging Adults.” European Review of Aging and Physical Activity.

4. Lockie, R. et al. (2012). “Relationships between broad jump and sprint speed.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

5. Bean, J. et al. (2010). “Standing long jump performance as a measure of lower extremity function.” Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

6. Andersen, L. et al. (2019). “Age-related changes in agility.” Sports Medicine.

7. Hewett, T.E. et al. (2023). “Lateral movement and ACL injury risk in adults and youth.” British Journal of Sports Medicine.

8. Vandervoort, A. (2002). “Aging of the human neuromuscular system.” Muscle & Nerve.

9. Tinetti, M. (2003). “Preventing falls in elderly persons.” NEJM.

10. Reid, K.F. et al. (2015). “Effect of resistance and power training on functional performance in older adults.” Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy.