ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2026
The acute effect of squat exercises performed at different depths on muscle activation and jump performance: a randomized crossover trial.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07543237 (The Acute Effect of Squat Exercises Performed at Different Depths on Muscle Activation and Jump Performance), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The Acute Effect of Squat Exercises Performed at Different Depths on Muscle Activation and Jump Performance: A Randomized Crossover Trial
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study examined the acute effects of different squat depths (partial, parallel, full) on lower extremity muscle activation and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance.
methodsFourteen healthy sports science students participated in this randomized crossover study. Participants performed three sets of squats at their 5-repetition maximum (5RM) load across three different depths. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was recorded from the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), and biceps femoris (BF) muscles during each set, while CMJ performance was assessed before and after the squat protocols.
resultsBoth mean and peak activation values of all muscles increased significantly with greater squat depth (p < 0.001). The highest activation levels in the RF and BF muscles occurred during the full squat, whereas VL activation peaked during both the full and parallel squat conditions. Regarding CMJ performance, a significant improvement between pre-test and post-test values was found only after the full squat condition (p = 0.011); however, the overall magnitude of change (ΔCMJ) did not show a significant difference among the three squat depths (p = 0.268).
conclusionIncreasing squat depth positively affects lower extremity muscle activation. While full squats provide the greatest neuromuscular stimulation and can serve as an effective stimulus for acute post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE), they should not be considered statistically superior to partial or parallel squats in terms of acute jump performance gains.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07543237. Registered on 15/04/2026.
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