The purpose of the following study was first to identify an optimal warm-up to maximise countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, and second to investigate whether a conditioning activity (CA) of half-squats could potentiate CMJ performance above that of the optimal warm-up. Sixteen resistance trained males were recruited for the study. Participants performed six different warm-up volumes over six sessions. Warm-ups consisted of submaximal running, dynamic stretching and practice CMJs. After the warm-up, participants rested for four minutes before performing three CMJs on a force platform. The warm-up which resulted in the best CMJ relative peak power (RPP) was considered to be that individual`s optimal warm-up. Participants attended another testing session where they performed their optimum warm-up followed by a pre-CMJ test. Participants then performed a CA of four half-squats with a 5RM load followed by post-CMJ tests after four- and eight-minutes recovery. No CMJ variable displayed significant improvements at either four or eight minutes recovery after the CA when compared to the pre-test. However, when everyone`s optimum recovery period was considered, CMJ height significantly improved by 5.2% (p = 0.009) when compared with pre-CMJ performance. If the optimum recovery period is considered, a half-squat CA can further improve CMJ height above that of a general warm-up alone.
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