Enter your peak power output while jumping and weight into the calculator to estimate your vertical jump.

Vertical Jump Formula

The following formula can be used to estimate a vertical jump. 

V = (P/4*W) ^2
  • Where V is your vertical jump height (ft)
  • P is your average power output while jumping (ft-lb/sec)
  • W is your weight (lbs)

To calculate the vertical jump height, divide your average jumping power by 4, multiply by your weight, then take this result and square it.

If you do not know your power output while jumping you can estimate using your squat. For example, if you can lift 200lbs of squat in an average of .5 seconds for the push portion of the lift and you are lifting that weight at a vertical distance of 3 ft then your power output would be 200*3/.50 = 1200 lb-ft/s.

Vertical Jump Definition

A vertical jump is defined as the maximum height a person can jump, measured as the distance from their head at a stand still and their head at the maximum point of the jump.

How to calculate a vertical jump?

Example Problem #1:

First, determine the average power output of a person while jumping. Using the same estimation as explained above, the power output is calculated to be 1200ft-lb/s.

Next, get an accurate measure of your weight. For this example, the person jumping weights 200lbs.

Finally, use the formula above to estimate a vertical jump:

V = (1714/(4*200))^2

= 2.25 Ft.