For American football
For American football, Bulgarian split squat rates higher on our research criteria: more injury protection.
Trap bar jump carries over more directly to American football.
Both are good choices that build different things for American football, so a plan can use both.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Bulgarian Split Squat. Single-leg strength in a split stance, close to how you drive off one foot.
Trap Bar Jump. Loaded jumps train explosive hip extension, the action behind every take-off and first step.
For basketball, Bulgarian split squat rates well ahead on our research criteria: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in.
For golf, the two are close. Bulgarian split squat rates slightly higher: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in. Trap bar jump carries over more directly to golf.
For American football, Bulgarian split squat rates higher on our research criteria: more injury protection. Trap bar jump carries over more directly to American football. Both are good choices that build different things for American football, so a plan can use both.
About the same: both take some practice.
Bulgarian split squat needs dumbbells and a bench, so a home gym covers it. Trap bar jump needs a trap bar, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Bulgarian split squat: it rates Strong for injury protection in our research rubric, against Fair for trap bar jump.