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"The 5 Best Exercises to Get a Higher Vertical Jump"

By Todd Painter

One of the most fundamental and functional movements in athletics is the vertical jump. Athletes from every sport strive to improve their vertical each year; hoping for just another inch or two. So, how can you dunk like LeBron James or leap like Marvin Harrison? I decided to do a little fitness research and see what types of exercises would have me jumping higher in 2007.

I consulted Walter Theis, MD, Athletic Director of the VERT Fitness Training Center (that’s Velocity Enhanced Resistance Training) in Santa Monica, CA. VERT Fitness has an alumni list of pro athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal, Johnny Morton and Holly McPeak, to name just a few of their big jumpers. Dr Theis shared with me that the secret to improving your vertical is not based on raw strength or speed, but power, which is the combination of force and velocity. Dr Theis stated “To efficiently develop power, one must exercise at functional velocities.

Conventional strength training is traditionally done at slow speeds, which does not maximize athletic gains.” Dr Theis also added, “Speed training is limiting because the resistance one can effectively train with is marginal. The combination of force and velocity is the best way to exercise in order to directly increase athletic and sports-specific performance.”

Next, I spoke with Walter Osias, a sports trainer with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Kinesiology from the University of Sydney, Australia. Walter informed me that in addition to power, one must develop range of motion and neuromuscular facilitation, the speed at which your brain can fire muscle fibers. Range of motion is important in jumping because muscles that are either over-stretched or under-stretched cannot contract with optimal force; and neuromuscular development is necessary to improve the pattern and speed of your muscle contraction.

So, what are the best exercises to improve power, range of motion and neuromuscular facilitation? How can I increase my vertical leap? With the help of Dr. Theis and Walter Osias, I tested numerous exercise modalities, narrowing it all down to this list of the five best vertical leap training movements.

1) Vertical Box Jumps – Repeatedly jump from the floor to a plyo-box 24” in height. This is a very basic, but beneficial movement that will help develop technique through repetition. If you want to get better at shooting free throws, you shoot free throws. If you want to get better at jumping, jump. Specifically, watch your form in a mirror and try to utilize all the muscles from your leg: glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps.

2) Vertical Depth Jumps – Slightly better than the box jump, the depth jump focuses on the loading phase as well as the explosion phase of the jump. Place two boxes about two feet apart; one twelve inches in height, the other twenty-four inches. Next, jump off of the 12” box landing onto the floor, and then jump up to the 24” box. Your focus should be on the transfer of speed, as you create a soft landing, which transitions into a powerful vertical leap.

3) Olympic Lifts – Olympic lifts are a good and traditional method to develop power, but there are a few limiting factors. First, Olympic lifts only provide resistance in the initiation of the movement which limits range of motion. Second, Olympic lift exercises, such as cleans and snatches, are not jump-specific.

4) Shuttle Jumper – The MVP Shuttle Jumper, manufactured by Shutttlesystems and available at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica, utilizes spring loaded resistance to create opposing force in both directions. This exercise is functional, jump-specific, and trains for both power and neuromuscular development. Additionally, the MVP Shuttle Jumper is ideal for athletic fitness; it places the exerciser at a seven-degree-angle to simulate the subtle shift of balance when running or jumping.

5) High-Speed Isokinetics – This is the Cadillac of vertical jump training. High-speed isokinetics provide constant resistance throughout a range of motion and force more fast-twitch recruitment than any of the other exercises I did. Additionally, I performed a jump-squat movement at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica which not only made the movement jump-specific, but explosive from start to finish. This equipment is also used by Dr. Tim Grover of Attack Athletics in Chicago, where greats like Michael Jordan have trained.

Athletes require sport-specific training to get sport-specific results. I learned that, thanks to Dr. Theis and Walter Osias. Additionally, to improve vertical leap, we need to develop power, which has a synergistic effect, versus individually training for speed and strength. My new program consists of High-speed Isokinetic training 3 days a week at VERT Fitness of Santa Monica with a series of box jumps, Shuttle Jumping and squats to complement. Remember, next time you’re playing basketball, football, or volleyball with your friends; the difference between dominating and being dominated is separated by only a few inches.

About the Author:

Todd Painter is a certified personal trainer and fitness writer located in Los Angeles, CA. For additional VERT Center locations and information please visit: www.VertFitness.com