If you want to increase your ability to dunk, clear hurdles, or simply spend more time in the air, a good vertical jump program might be just the thing you need. A combination of technique, strength, skill training and conditioning, and explosive power can help you soar to new heights. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Strength
Strength is a direct contributor to your ability to jump. The strength of the muscles helps determine how much force you can generate, and how quickly. Improvements in your barbell squat and strengthening the hamstrings are invaluable. A strong squat means strong legs overall, and if you learn to squat and generate sufficient force, this should have more carry-over to improving your vertical leap. Strong hamstrings not only give you more to work with when training the stretch reflex, they help to protect the knee joint from injury.
Technique
Improvements in jumping skill are overlooked by many. Learning the proper counter-movement, which means timing the swing of the arms, changing directions at the bottom of the jump before launching yourself upward, and learning to push through the calf and off the toes are all part of improving your skill and your leap. Good technique starts from the ground up, and learning to strike with the forefoot can assist you in building proper jumping technique. Running up hills is good training for this, as it also builds the stretch reflex of the calf and stretches and strengthens the hamstrings.
Conditioning
When discussing the vertical jump, conditioning does not refer to cardiovascular work, but rather your tolerance for training volume. Your muscles and joints can only take so much abuse, but your ability to tolerate training volume can be greatly increased if you do it properly. Given that much of a vertical leap program is high impact, you may wish something less forceful, and sled dragging fits the bill nicely. Pulling a weighted sled not only gives you increased training volume and improves your conditioning, but it also requires you to push through the calves, burns fat and strengthens the legs.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics should not be begun until you have strength and conditioning, as well as good technique. They are a great way to train the stretch reflex and build explosive power, but you need to ensure that you start with an exercise that closely mimics your vertical jump pattern. Depth jumps are a good place to begin. Start on a platform no more than 12 inches high with only your toes on the edge. Jump backward as little as possible and drop to the ground, making sure you just clear the edge of the box, strike the ground and rebound as quickly as possible, using the stretch reflex to propel yourself back onto the box.
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