Hello, and welcome to the second installment of the athlete's planet blog. This week we will be discussing an other big aspect of many sports: jumping. From being able to throw down ferocious dunks in basketball to delivering big spikes in volleyball, how high you jump can put you way above the competition and also helps with many other aspects in sports.
This week there will be no set workout, just 5 major things you need to remember to maximize your vertical and get the best gains.
1. Muscle Strength
Plain and simple, if overall your muscles are weak there's a good chance you're not going to get much air. There are several muscles involved when it comes to jumping and you must strengthen all of them to get the most out of your jump. But it's not just about training them, it's about training them right. Most people blindly train at the gym and do a million isolation exercises like bicep curls and leg extensions expecting to get stronger, but those exercises only shape the muscles not make YOU stronger as a unit. Jumping is a whole body movement, so you need exercises that train many muscle groups at once.This is where compound lifts come in. Exercises like the Barbell Squat, Dead lift, Bench Press and Power Clean are what's really going to have you flying like Mike (Jordan). Learn form and proper technique of these exercises (start the first few workouts with very light weight) and then do a workout with high weight and low reps (4-6). Add 5 lbs each workout and you'll see the results in no time. Throw in some chin ups and pull ups for extra upper body strength as well.
2. Plyometric training
The next most important thing to having the muscle to jump high, is to be able to apply that force quickly, very quickly. If you can't get the muscle to explode and react fast, all of your weight training would be a waste. Jumping is an explosive movement, so you need to train your muscles to fire rapidly. Doing a workout like the one featured in my Speed Blog (go to my "Introduction Blog" to find it) regularly will really help your muscle speed and movement. There are many jump exercises to help this like Box Jumps, Jump rope, Sprints, Power Jumps etc. The point is you need to train your fast twitch muscle fibers to be exactly that, fast. Again go for fewer quality reps, instead of several bad or lazy reps.
3. Shed the extra weight
If you're going to jump high, you'll have to lose any unwanted fat and keep your body fat percentage low, ideally under 10% and anything under 7% being great. There's a reason why you don't see many overweight great jumpers, it's a lot harder to jump as it really weighs you down. It's like trying to jump with a 20 lb backpack on you, you're not going to get very high. To do this you are going to have to clean up your diet, do some cardio and stay active until you lose the the excess fat. Once you do you'll not only jump higher but be in overall better health.
4. Work on your flexibility/mobility
Another part of jumping which is rarely talked about is your flexibility,mobility and stability. If you have tight muscles that aren't bendable you'll have a harder time getting your muscles to fire quickly. Daily stretching and foam rolling can easily help this, but things like yoga can surprise you at how much it helps you athletically. Guys, you may feel less manly doing it but i'm sure the toughness will come back when you dunk in somebody's face. Trust me, it helps.
5. Be consistent and be realistic
This last tip is more mental than it is physical. Really improving your vertical jump takes time. Unless you are a complete beginner you won't get major gains right away. All those advertisements/products that claim to get you 10 inches on your jump in 2 months are liars, unless you completely can't jump at all to begin with. Gaining real results will take a good amount of time and will be very tiring but you have to stay consistent, the results will come. Don't quit just because it didn't happen overnight, your future self will thank you. You must really have a "Rome wasn't built in a day" attitude to get the most of your potential vertical jump.
Don't give up, I've followed these tips myself and have went from not being able to touch a 10 foot rim, to touching it, to grabbing it and even dunking a small dodge ball. All while being only 5'6" tall. Of course it took lots of time and work, but it was without a doubt worth it.
Good Luck
Be back next week, go be the best you can be.
Sources: All me
Wow this blog is "sports heaven"! This post really caught my eye because I play volleyball and I am always looking for ways to improve my vertical jump as an attacker. Also I agree 100% on any sport being more of a mental game than a physical game. My motto is always "Play like you are in 1st, But train like you are in 2nd". I can not wait to try all these tips, thanks Alex!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment, I'm glad you like my blog! This article is perfect for you since you are a volleyball player, keep these tips in mind and you will be an amazing attacker in no time. Your motto is a good one to live by for everyone who wants to be the best they can be.
DeleteAlex, this is such a wonderful blog. I can't wait to see more! I am an athlete myself. I play basketball, hockey, soccer and I am a wake surfer. To do all these sports I must maintain a great level of fitness. This blog will help me so much. I will check up weekly. What sports do you play ?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! As for me I play mainly basketball and some football. I can see that you're very active so this blog will help you a lot with all the sports that you play. I'll do my best to make my blog everything you need to achieve top shape.
DeleteHey Alex! Since you were mentioning tips on achieving a higher vertical, I was wondering if you've ever done air alert. I remember hearing about it improving people's vertical by incredible amounts but I was wondering if it actually works. Since I play volleyball and basketball it's important for me to be able to jump high because I'm not very tall.
ReplyDeleteHey, I actually have never done air alert and to be honest am not the biggest fan of it for a lot of people. The thing is air alert is just repetitive jumping for hours which will build muscle endurance and not necessarily strength. In my opinion you should build a foundation of strength in the gym first and then do a plyometric program. However, I've never done it so i'm not sure on the results, you can try and google review for it to see if it really works.
DeleteNice list. I especially like your 5th point. I think the many athletes who seek immediate results should keep it in mind.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your sources for this list and the elements on this list? Is this entirely original or does some credit go elsewhere? Let us know, otherwise it's plagiarism.
+ Make sure to reread your blog before posting.
For example, one of your phrases reads:
"[These exercises ] are what's really going to flying like Mike."
I assume this is a Jordan reference but the awkward phrasing makes it look like a copy-paste mistake.
At one time I had a very high vertical of around 29 inches. That number has slowly dwindled down due to injury and increase in mass. At the time I was deeply involved in plyometric training as well as stretching which helped to improve explosive power into y muscles as well as sharp elasticity. The ability to jump high in sports has spear headed e down a path of success. Because of this I was able to win my first kick boxing match with a spectacular completely unexpected flying knee to an opponent who was much taller than I. The explosive power fueled my body into the air at such a rate that it was hard to see coming. That being said I've also been on the receiving end on these types of strikes and I must say they are difficult to defend.
ReplyDelete