Adarq.org

So whenever I go on a ME jumping session or just play lots of basketball one day, my quads feel kinda burned out and weak after (not too much though).  I usually never have anything like this on my glutes or hips.  Does this mean I'm a quad dominant jumper?

  If so, should I be training quad dominantly (squatting with knees shifting forward)??

Are there pros and cons of quad vs glute dominant jumping?

Thanks.

Anytime you're running around playing ball or doing lots of jumps the quads have to contract a lot eccentrically to slow you down and that can increase eccentric induced muscle soreness. If you do a ton of jumps and don't feel your glutes pump at all afterwards I'd say you might have problems. If you have a good squat strength base and take a week and do nothing but glute work you will probably notice the feel of your jump changes, usually for the better. It may not necessarily be higher but feels smoother and you'll come off the ground easier with less stress on your knees.  The key is maintaining that recruitment patten while strengthening the entire kinetic chain (hips, knees, ankles). More hip involvement means better leverage and less stress on the rest of the kinetic chain when activating concentrically. Hip flexor exercises can also help as they help establish better femoral control by your glutes.

You can get up without a ton of glute involvement but it will likely lead to knee pain eventually. I gave myself a severe case of quad tendonitis in both knees because I didn't know these things 10+ years ago and got out of balance doing too many front squats and not enough posterior chain work. My vert went up, but at the same time it felt rough and after only a few jumps I'd have to stop because I'd be hurting.  I finally noticed I would jump much better the day after emphasizing glute work and my knees hurt less.  My best jumps I could always feel my glutes pump right at the very top they would literally be cramped immediately after a jump.

One half assed observation you can do is stand blindfolded and jump vertically as high as possible, aiming for nothing in particular. See where you land in relationship to where you took off. If you went backward a bit your quads are probably dominant. If you went forward that indicates more hip involvement.

If you do a bilateral approach jump and take off a bit further back than you normally would it may help you get more glute activation in your jump. 

Reckon its an involuntary thing to an extent. Reason I say that is I came from a background of doing all low bar squats nd deadlifts. Zero quad specific work. As a result I was a very hip dominant jumper. I would never ever have any quad fatigue, even after a day of competitive beach volleyball.

Recently been doing front squats, lunges, step ups etc and my quads have come up. I'm probably lacking in the hips now if anything. I get quad fatigue every time now but rarely glutes.

The point of my ramblings.... your body will use the best available resource. Its smart like that. So get balanced front and rear.

That's exactly right - it is and should be an involuntary thing. The point is your body will try to use the strongest muscles to get the job done. 

Hence the need to improve posterior chain strength.