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Hornets DT #69
01-16-07, 6:04 pm
So im training for some combines coming up this spring. I've been trying to get my vertical jump up by doing box jumps and stretching out. Thing is i can grab rim but thats all ive got since last spring. I'm 6'0 250 lbs and last year my vertical was 29 in. My 40 time is also lagging it was clocked at a 5.4 last time i ran it. So is there any tips or programs you guys have that could help me out on speed and jumping?

NumeroUno
01-16-07, 6:41 pm
Sitting and standing calf raises every other day(give em a chance to heal) until you can't walk anymore.

-Daniel

xtonymarsx
01-16-07, 6:52 pm
If you are that tall and got that much vertical, you should be hitting more than just rim. You should just about be able to dunk. In high school I was 5'7" and had a 32" vert and I was dunking mini basketballs all day long.

Are those the only exercises you have been doing to improve your vert? Squats, push press, lunges, standing/seated calf raises, etc should all be used to help improve your vert

Have you been consistantly adding more weight when doing your box jumps?

The Wanderer
01-16-07, 6:54 pm
Yo, for this I would recommend some Olympic lifts and sprints. When I trained in track we would use alot of bodyweight exercises to increase our speed. If you want something tough as hell that will make you alot faster try this.
You want your sprints. Those will be the keystone in your foundation for speed. Try to get in 3 or 4 sets of 60 meter sprints. Add in 3 sets of lunges and 3 sets of "hops" (for those of you who don't know what this is, basically a bodyweight squat where you propel yourself forward as you explode upward). For the hops and lunges, do them somewhere where you can go close to 40 meters. Thats basic, add what else you need to it. It gets very tiring but it works. For your vertical jump, do some clean and jerks, and some snatches, they are a bitch, add those moves into your routine and you will surely see some gains.

Dunk
01-16-07, 6:57 pm
for your 40-work on your starts. I would do 10 starts everyday I ran. If you can have someone video you that would be helpful also. For general conditioning I did 2 weeks of 350's (on a track), this was days a week. After that I did three running days Monday was a conditioning day ranging from 10-20 100's. Started with 10 and increased by 2 each week. Wed was a SPARQ day. Friday was 40's and 60's. I did this all summer and lowered my time considerably. Though I was just starting back up too, so maybe some of the results I saw was polished metal after the rust was buffed off.

For my vertical I did standing jumps at a basketball rim, standing long jumps in a series of 3 for speed, then in a series of three for distance, and singles for distance, also I depth jumps. Also jump lots of rope
Hopefully this helps in some way

JUGGERNAUT
01-16-07, 6:58 pm
You have to make your training overall more explosive (explosive reps) across the board, speed makes it happen and don't think just low body work helps your jump, every part plays a part. Technique

Hornets DT #69
01-16-07, 7:06 pm
Alright thanks guys, those ar some good tips. I also do squats (475 max) and powercleans (280 max). I'll definetly add some of this stuff into my routine. As far as video goes yeah i can get some video. My highlight reel for football is actually coming out in about a week and i plan on shooting one in the gym in the next month or so. So i'll be sure to post on here when its all up to look at. Thanks alot for the tips guys!

Millhouse
01-16-07, 7:13 pm
If you want to develop your vertical jump ability there is no better way to do this than olymipc lifting (i.e. clean from floor, hang clean, push press). This is due to TYPE of muscle fiber that you are training. If you want mass you train a certin way lots of reps (10+) and sets (4+). These would be type1. Type1 muscle fiber is high endurance slow contracting. These take a while to fatigue. Muscles with the majority of type1 fibers are for posture, calfs and legs. You use these the majority of the day they need to last. So most of your bodybuilding exercises won't really help you here, they take you too long to complete ! Except squating and lunges.
If you want speed and power you work another way, reps lower usually around 5 and sets around 5. This hits your type2, short and powerful. just like sprinters you want speed and power and you need it now. Olympic lifiting happens very fast and simulates the triple extension that you will be doing to dunk or rebound (triple ext. occurs at the ankle, knee and hip.) I have to jet but i will cont. tommorrow if you have any questions.

good luck bro, any questions PM or just post.
Millhouse

HAWK
01-16-07, 7:13 pm
I play baseball, and have trained for explosive movements and speed for a few years in addition to bodybuilding specific workouts. An olympic lift day (power day) is great to throw in, including power cleans, clean and jerks, snatches, etc. Also, when I would squat, I lightened up the weight (between 225 and 315, that will depend on your individual strength), and once i got to the bottom of my squat, i immediatley exploded back up, onto my toes...almost a jump squat. It must be done quickly, and good form is imperative on each of these exercises to avoid injury.

Jump rope is a great exercise, as well as T sprints. Set 4 cones up in a "T" formation. Sprint from the bottom one straight to the top, shuffle to the left one, shuffle back to the right one, shuffle back to the middle, and backpedal to the start. Running with a tire or weight sled for quick starts and short bursts is also very effective.

Big Jawn
01-16-07, 8:31 pm
#69, I suggest you check out this site. Defranco specializes in training people in your situation.

http://www.defrancostraining.com/

Dunk
01-16-07, 9:13 pm
kelly baggot would also be worth while

Hornets DT #69
01-16-07, 11:05 pm
Awesome Guys Thanks!

Millhouse
01-17-07, 12:56 am
Hatebreed......definalty will improve your vertical jump !!

Joe Pas
01-17-07, 6:12 pm
this is what i do for explosiveness for football ...weighted box jumps like you said you do are great ....i also use my weight sled to get my 40 down and push it back for hip strength ...i also jump rop everyday for about a half hour with my strength shoes on (great for calves and will def help your vert.) ...i also like weighted skip walks (i think thats what they are called) you hold a the desired weight in each hand and bring one knee to chest or as high as you can ...and with the other leg push off the ground and get as high as possible ...do this for 40yds ...you can also do weighted bunny hops too ...if you really wanted to get crazy if you have strength shoes do both of these with the strength shoes ...try these out and see how you like them ...

Fezzik
01-17-07, 7:11 pm
Hey, I hate to disagree with some of you (because your suggestions are good in certain situations), but I have some great experience with this and have a few suggestions.

If you can truly power clean 280, then it seems you have a good strength base for getting faster. Now you just need to train to be able to USE that strength. Plyometrics are hands down THE BEST WAY at gaining speed, quickness, and even agility. But please don't add weight to them! Where you seem to be, you need to be doing unweighted plyos. Trust me.

Joe Defranco's site does offer some great tips. Check it out if you haven't.

I wouldn't recommend strength shoes either. Only because they are expensive, and all they do special is work your calves. Add in some calf work on your own!

There are a few other things, you can do, but I'm not exactly sure what to recommend, because I'm guessing you're working within your school's weight program? If not you can check out Westside for Skinny Bastards workout
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=667308
It doesn't use all of the Westside philosophies perfectly, but nonetheless will yield great results and Joe Defranco is the man. Pay special attention to the dynamic warmups for running days. They are great!

Benway83
01-17-07, 11:41 pm
In addition to DeFranco, try checking out some of the less conventional shit Zack Even-Esh gets down with. He also specializes in athlete training, and I see him as a major innovator.

That said, try getting some serious jump-stretch bands, attach them to a pole, door, etc. And then sprint. Make sure you go all-out, but also prevent an uncontrolled snap-back. Excellent exercise.

I like doing agility ladder and plyo work with an X-vest anywhere from 20-75 lbs, depending on how I feel that day.

Much more unconventional, for more explosive legs:

Have a buddy about your size piggyback on you, then get onto your knees. Jump up from kneeling to a low squat position, and then jump through. Rinse. Repeat.

Springster
06-14-09, 12:10 am
Any suggestions?

rev8ball
06-14-09, 2:49 am
Just for the hell of it, or are you in a particular sport????

Dedicated
06-14-09, 2:10 pm
Don't know about a "program", but focus on the power cleans and squats. I spent about 6 months back in my high school days working hard on improving my form and strength with cleans and my vertical exploded.

Springster
06-14-09, 2:14 pm
yes i am a football player and thanks for the advice

TigerAce01
06-14-09, 2:28 pm
Try 15 rep speed squats with chains. It will make your jump explode. Many athletes don't know the advantage of using chains. With chains, the weight is not constant. In a squat, after you are in the bottom position (squatting), the weight continues to get heavier as you reach the top, making your jump easier. You will be more explosive, and your shot out of the hole will be even faster.

-Ace

Cstlfx
06-14-09, 8:11 pm
From what I know, there arent many weight lifting programs that are designed for that. There are plyometric programs to go along with weight lifting that will help you out.

As its a body weight type of exercise (like pull-ups) you have to do it to get better.

http://www.criticalbench.com/increase-vertical-jump.htm

This is just one of the things I got off of google. It looks like a good one. The program is all the way at the bottom. I cant tell if the article itself is an ad, or if they just put the ads in their because of the content of the article.

Muscleguy93
06-14-09, 10:27 pm
Try 15 rep speed squats with chains. It will make your jump explode. Many athletes don't know the advantage of using chains. With chains, the weight is not constant. In a squat, after you are in the bottom position (squatting), the weight continues to get heavier as you reach the top, making your jump easier. You will be more explosive, and your shot out of the hole will be even faster.

-Ace

this sounds good.

BigChrisF
06-15-09, 3:46 am
Along with squatting with chains (I would suggest a bunch of sets of 2-3 simply because by the time you get to 15 you should have slowed considerably) you should do box jumps. Keep up a variety of heights of boxes and jump on them.

Springster
06-15-09, 10:18 am
Along with squatting with chains (I would suggest a bunch of sets of 2-3 simply because by the time you get to 15 you should have slowed considerably) you should do box jumps. Keep up a variety of heights of boxes and jump on them.

i do alot of box jumps already and i am actually getting very good at them

CuttDeez
06-15-09, 10:30 am
Plyos for explosive power: Broad jumps, Depth jumps, Split squat jumps, single leg squat jumps, tuck jumps

Also do wave squats: Put about 135 on the bar. Your going to do 3 X 20. The first four reps do a quater squat focusing on rotating your hips back and keeping your lower leg perpendicular to the floor. You extend the hips on the way up from the quater squat and roll up onto your toes (with a calf extension). So you do the first four like that (very easy, quickly, but under control). Then on the fifth go a little deeper (with good form) and explode up jumping off the ground.(make sure you are squeezing the bar so it does not leave your upper back). Then continue with a set of four and a jump, 4 and jump, so on.
These are pretty sweet. I am only 5'9 and I have been doing these for a little while. I can grab rim and hang there so I have a pretty good vertical.

One more note: You need a good leg strength base before you work explosion. Don't be afraid of strength exercises when working on getting more explosive!
(Also what all these guys are saying about chains is very true)

FarBeyondDriven
08-30-09, 6:07 pm
Check out the Fabulous 15 Exercises to Improve Vertical Jump article by Joe Defranco on his site, if you do a search for the article it should come right up. Good shit

shizz702
08-30-09, 7:03 pm
The olympic lifts are your best bet.

Here's an excerpt from an article by Dr. Fred Hatfield aka Dr. Squat:

" Pound for pound, Olympic weightlifters have a greater level of speed-strength than any other class of athletes in all of sport. This fact was made very clear during a massive scientific expedition carried out on the athletes at the Mexico City Olympics in 1964. Sports scientists found that Olympic lifters were able to both vertical jump higher than any class of athletes (including the high jumpers), and run a 25 yard dash faster than any class of athletes (including the sprinters). "

For a basic program for sport you can't go wrong with Bill Starr: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5#The_Bill_Starr_Power_Routine

I'd swap the high pulls out for power snatches.

Squatting, cleaning, and snatching should really help you out.

shizz702
08-30-09, 7:07 pm
Just look how high these dudes can jump lol: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1017631&d=1196957891

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1017641&d=1196957911

Goes to show if you can clean and jerk, and snatch big weights, you can hit a pretty good vertical too.