Jumping high is beneficial for many sports. Basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field, and football all require jumping ability. Your vertical comes from a combination of maximum strength and rate of force development, according to Dr. Bill Kraemer and Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky. Some of you will benefit from increasing your strength and others from improving your rate of force development. Improve both of these abilities to bring out your best vertical.
Traditional Strength Training
Strength training exercises can be very beneficial to increasing your vertical. The exercises that will be of most benefit in the gym will resemble the movement required during a jump. These exercises train the calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and abdomen, providing these areas with the necessary strength to catapult your body upwards. Of most benefit to improving your verticals are squats, deadlifts and lunges. Each of these lifts uses all of the muscles required for your vertical jump in one cohesive motion. Alternatively, leg extensions and calf raises are less beneficial strength training exercises to perform that hit on singular muscle groups needed for a good vertical jump.
The Olympic Lifts
Performing the more technical Olympic lifts involves more skill and increased risk. Olympic lifts such as the hangclean, snatch and push press all incorporate explosive muscle action that simultaneously builds maximal strength and rate of force development. Each of these lifts involves tremendous core strength and powerful hip drive both of which are necessary for a good vertical jump. However, performance specialist David Sandler cautions that these lifts can be counterproductive if performed incorrectly. He warns that you must incorporate these lifts progressively over time to truly reap the rewards they can represent. Similarly, USA Weightlifting coach Tim Swords also notes that these lifts should not be attempted by amateurs without proper instruction from a professional.
Plyometrics
To truly work your body's ability to recruit muscle for your goal, you have to jump. Plyometric exercises incorporating reverse muscle action whereby flexion is quickly followed by extension are most beneficial to transferring your strength into true jump ability. These exercises most resemble the movement required for your vertical, and as a result have the best potential to transfer your strength gains into a better vertical. Both two-legged plyometric jumps and single-leg plyometric jumps are beneficial for the sport setting, as you will not always have two legs on the ground. Additionally, performing agility drills requiring plyometric motion applied at different angles will improve your ability to jump higher at angles that involve horizontal motion.
References
- "Science and Practice of Strength Training"; Bill Kraemer, PhD and Vladimir Zatsiorsky, PhD; 2006
- "Sports Power"; David Sandler, MS; 2005
- "The NSCA's Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning"; Ed. Thomas Baechle, EdD & Roger Earle; 2000
- Tim Swords; International Olympic Weightlifting Coach; Houston, TX
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