What is the Stretch Shortening Cycle?

The Stretch Shortening Cycle (SSC) describes the release of stored elastic energy during the concentric muscle contraction phase of a lift or movement to enhance force production and reduce the effort required to complete a lift. 

Where do we see SSC in Action?

The stretch shortening cycle is synonymous with plyometric exercise, but we also see it during exercises like the traditional back squats or the bench press.

What Are the Three Phases of the Stretch Shortening Cycle?

To better explain the SSC we split it into three phases -

• Eccentric - The muscle lengthening

• Concentric - The muscle shortening

• Amortization - the transition between the eccentric and concentric phase

Why is the Amortization Phase Important?

The longer the amortization phase, the more of the elastic energy, stored in the tendons, will dissipate and thus the less spring-like power we get from it. As such, we often split exercises into Fast SSC and Slow SSC exercises, characterised by a SSC of <250 milliseconds and >250 milliseconds, respectively.

What Does the SSC Mean For Your Training?

If you want to use more of the spring-like power from the SSC, then you need to move fast coming in and out of the amortization phase, but with coordination and control to make sure you utilise it efficiently. For example, in a back squat, you will want to control the descent until below parallel, before bouncing in and out of the hole of your squat.

On the other hand, if you want to make your squats exercise harder and bias pure strength adaptations, then you may want to extend your amortization phase with a pause at the bottom so that the spring-like bounce isn’t making the movement easier.

How Can I Improve the Stretch Shortening Cycle?

Training to improve the SSC should be specific to the tasks you are looking to use it for, given the need for coordination. If you are performing slower stretch shortening cycle movements, like squats, then you will want to practise your timing during a squat to bounce out of the hole.

With plyometric exercises, which tend to be fast SSC exercises, the focus should be largely on improving muscle stiffness.

What is Muscle Stiffness?

Muscle stiffness is what it says on the tin. It is an athlete’s ability to absorb high amounts of force without the muscle moving. This forces the tendons to stretch and store more elastic energy, leading to a more powerful concentric contraction, i.e. a higher jump or a faster stride when running. This is essential for improving athletic performance.

Top 3 Exercises to Improve Muscle Stiffness

1 - Drop Landing

• Stand on a Plyo Box, with your hands on your hips.

• Jump off the box and land in a strong quarter squat with both feet at the same time, resisting the urge to squat deep.

• You can progress this by jumping off a higher box or add a small Kettlebell or Dumbbell in each hand.

2 - Pogo Hops

• Stand tall with your hands on your hips, on the balls of your feet.

• Start bouncing off the floor, as if you are skipping without a skipping rope.

• Focus on keeping the knees as stiff as possible and getting off the floor as quick as possible; pretend ‘the floor is lava’.

• You can make this more fun by incorporating a skipping rope but make sure to focus on keeping the knees nice and stiff.

3 - Drop Jump

• Stand on a plyo box with your hands on your hips.

• Jump off the box, landing with both feet at the same time.

• Jump back off the floor as quick as possible, again, pretending ‘the floor is lava’, keeping your knees nice and stiff so you go no deeper than a quarter squat depth.

Add these exercises into your training programme to improve your athleticism, becoming more powerful and resilient to injury. Remember to be progressive with any new exercises and don’t be afraid to regress the volume or exercise difficulty if you find them to be too hard or too strenuous.

Written by guest author Ewan Hammond.

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Tags: Equipment > Plyo Jump Box ; Exercise Type > Conditioning