How to jump higher through hard work

I must warn those of you who are reading this that improving your vertical jump is not an easy task. If you are looking for some BS about doing just a few exercises and improving your vertical in two weeks, this is not the place. Jumping is not something that can be improved greatly over a short amount of time. It takes hard work and a lot of time for most to gain just a couple inches. If you understand this and are ready to proceed, awesome! Jumping is addicting and I love working towards goals of jumping higher and higher.

If you want to jump higher, the first thing we need to cover is being in good general shape. If you are out of shape, overweight, and not ready for intense work, you should focus on losing weight and doing general conditioning. This can consist of jumping rope, sprinting, playing sports, or basically anything that mostly focuses on cardio.

Once you are in shape to start pushing yourself, its time to really start training!

Phase 1 of your training should focus on two important aspects of jumping, technique and strength.

The first step to improving your vertical leap is to address your jumping technique! As unbelievable as it sounds, athletes can make major improvements in their leap by just improving their technique. If you watch some of the best jumpers in the world, they may have different jumping styles, but their fundamentals are all very similar. A few good tips to remember when working on jumping technique include: keeping your chest high and hips high, build into your fastest controlled speed, and make your last jumping step, the fastest. Everyone will jump a little different, but focus on these tips and you can make improvements immediately. Here are two great videos on improving jumping technique off of one foot and two!

The next step of your initial jump training is building strength. Why is being stronger relevant to jumping higher you ask? Well, the more lean muscle you build, the more muscle you can convert to type II A and II B fast twitch muscle fibers later on. Simply put, the more muscle fibers you can recruit to fire at once, the better.

So what strengthening exercises should you do to improve your vertical jump? For your lower body, the essential lifts include squats, dead lifts, lunges, cleans, snatches, and jerks. These lifts are extremely effective in improving your vertical jump because they mimic the jumping motion and allow you to overload that motion with weight.

Should I lift upper body as well? The answer is yes! It is important to have a strong, explosive upper body as well because an explosive arm swing will improve your vertical. Also, it is important to maintain a well proportioned body because you can generate health and safety concerns with body imbalances.

Should I work out my core? Yes! The core is important to work out because it helps stabilize your body when you are jumping. By having a rock solid core, you will be able to control your body at higher speeds, thus allowing you to jump higher.

Does flexibility play a role in jumping? Yes, increased range of motion is always a positive thing, and it allows for your muscles and tendons to work their best when properly taken care of.

The second phase is about converting your increased strength in to functional, reactive, fast twitch muscle fibers.  We want to convert our newly developed muscle to these type II A and II B muscle fibers because they move 5x and 10x faster than slow twitch muscle fibers respectively. So what is the best way to convert your muscle fibers?   Exercises known as plyometrics utilize explosive movements to decrease ground contact time, increase your rate of force development, and increase your vertical jump! Plyometrics are exercises that were developed by Dr. Verkhoshansky to help train Russian Olympians. Now, these exercises are available to everyone.  The other great way to develop fast twitch muscle fibers is by simply jumping or sprinting. I know it sounds too simple to work, but its really quite effective.

Your body is good at adapting to whatever it needs to accomplish.  If you sprint and jump often, your body will start to become more explosive by converting your available muscle to fast twitch fibers so you can do so. If you run long distances, your body will convert your muscle to slow twitch fibers so you can endure long runs.  This is why people say train how you want to perform!  If you want to run fast and jump high, you need to train by doing everything explosively(while still being under control and with good form!). 

In order to continue to see gains, it is important to cycle back through these phases. Once you have become more advanced and you find out what works best for your body, you can combine plyos + weight training into one phase.

When training to jump higher, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. You need to train as hard as possible every training session. If you don't have it, don't bother working out, its pointless. Find a way to motivate yourself to give 100% or you won't see results.

2. Train with a purpose. When training to jump higher, think about how the exercises are going to help you gain inches on your vertical. When you are lifting, try to move the weight as fast as possible. Slow reps do not help jumping! Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise! When you are doing plyos, limit GCT (ground contact time). Think of yourself as a spring with built up energy, and explode as quickly as possible.

3. Talk to a trainer to see how to properly do the lifts. If performed incorrectly, these lifts can lead to serious injuries!

First Phase

Work out Lower Body 2 days and Upper Body 2 days of the week

Possible schedule:

Monday - LB workout A

Tuesday - UP workout A

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - LB Workout B

Friday - UP workout B

Saturday - Jog, recover

Sunday - Rest

Lower Body Workout A:

1. Squats - 5 x 5

2. Step Ups - 3 x 10

3. Hang Power Snatch - 5 x 3/15 x 1(your choice of rep scheme)

4. Calf Raises - 3 x 15

Lower Body Workout B:

1. Deadlifts - 5 x 5

2. Reverse Lunges: 3 x 10

3. Reverse Hyperextensions: 3 x 10

4. Power Clean and Press: 10 x (1C and 3P per set)

Upper Body Workout A:

1. Bench Press - 5 x 5

2. DB Bench Press: 3 x 10

3. Row - 3 x 10

4. Bent Over Row: 3 x 10

5. Dips - 3 x 70% of max reps

6. Bicep Curls: 3 x 10

Upper Body Workout B:

1. Military Press - 5 x 5

2. Pull Ups - 3 x 70% of max reps

3. Lateral Raises: 3 x 15-20

4. Front Raises: 3 x 15-20

5. Reverse fly: 3 x 15

6. Shrugs: 3 x 10

* I would recommend doing this first phase of lifting for at least 3-6 months to build up a solid foundation of muscle. Throughout this phase, every 3-4 weeks max out in your major lifts(squats, DLs, MP, and Bench) to set new working numbers for the weeks to follow.

Phase 2 Workouts

Workout A:

1. Single Leg Bounding: LLLLL x 3, LRLRLRLR x 3, LLRRLLRR x 3

2. Squat Jumps: 3 x 10

3. Line Jumps: 3 x 50

4. Sprints: 50 Meters x 5

Workout B:

1. Double Leg Bounding: 3 x 50 Meters

2. Depth Jumps: 5 x 3

3. Split Squat Jumps: 3 x 12

4. Sprints: 100 Meter Build ups x 5

Workout C:

1. Max jumps/dunk attempts until vertical is steadily declining