Is vertical jump aerobic or anaerobic?

The vertical jump is anaerobic. Vertical jumping is the act of propelling one's body upward along a vertical plane from a stationary position using only muscle force. The vertical jump is a measure of anaerobic muscular power or high-speed muscular strength. Fast twitch muscles are worked for increased anaerobic power and not aerobic output. That's why the vertical jump may predict maximal anaerobic power. So, coaches could use the vertical jump as a practical and easy-to-apply field screening test.

Is vertical jump aerobic or anaerobic?

The vertical jump is an anaerobic movement. It uses the anaerobic energy system. That system is a quick energy storage system for bursts. The energy lasts a short time, up to ten seconds. However, the vertical jump is under 1 second. So, the jump uses stored energy, like stored creatine phosphate. The process doesn't need oxygen and doesn't make lactate. That's the anaerobic alactic system. For a single vertical jump, aerobic contribution is negligible because the energy source that gives power right away has over 95% energy. That's when the aerobic demand is tiny.

However, during repeated vertical jumps, aerobic metabolism helps. Aerobic contribution goes up during many short runs. Repeated vertical jump protocols use twelve leaps per minute and 80 to 85 percent peak effort. That's when anaerobic glycolysis is more used. Anaerobic glycolysis has energy for ten seconds to about two minutes. So, repeated vertical jumps are not exclusively anaerobic alactic. Repeated vertical jumps primarily use anaerobic explosive power. The relationship between VO2max and leaps is insignificant. The connection number is 0.554. Vertical jump height does not have correlation with aerobic capacity. It has correlation with stillness force, explosive power, and isometric force. Strength produced does not have correlation with aerobic capacity. Leanness helps vertical jump performance. However, VO2max is predictor for long races, not driver of vertical jump performance.

Thanks to fast-twitch muscle fibers, the vertical jump is powerful. Fast-twitch muscle cells make peak power. The fastest kind are glycolytic. They use sugar for energy and get tired rapidly. Type IIa fibers produce strong, powerful movements and are oxidative glycolytic, using oxygen and sugar. More fast-twitch muscle fibers matches with higher jump height. However, slow-twitch muscle fibers are endurance fibers. Type I fibers are oxidative, last a long time, and contract very slow. They cannot make explosive for maximal jump height, so slow-twitch muscles do not be vertical jump propulsion. After a maximal jump, fast-twitch fibers need extended rest between attempts because the energy makes need to bounce back, and anaerobic leftover waste from using energy makes need to rest.