For American football
For American football, the two are close. Lateral bound rates slightly higher: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in.
Trap bar jump carries over more directly to American football.
Both are good choices that work the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Lateral Bound. Side-to-side power and landing control for cuts and changes of direction.
Trap Bar Jump. Loaded jumps train explosive hip extension, the action behind every take-off and first step.
For basketball, lateral bound rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to learn and fit in, more injury protection.
For American football, the two are close. Lateral bound rates slightly higher: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in. Trap bar jump carries over more directly to American football. Both are good choices that work the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
Lateral bound is easier: it’s easy to learn, while trap bar jump takes some practice.
Lateral bound needs no equipment, so you can do it anywhere. Trap bar jump needs a trap bar, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Lateral bound: it rates Good for injury protection in our research rubric, against Fair for trap bar jump.