Vertical Jump Training

A favourite training goal for athletes and strength coaches
is an increased vertical jump; a reliable indicator of lower body power that is
applicable to all kinds of sports. As far as training methodologies go,
vertical jump training is sexy; it conjures images of “Vinsanity” era Vince
Carter dunks, or Alex Jesaulenko “you beauty” speckies.  

Plyometric exercises such as depth jumps from a Plyometric Box are commonly thought of as the go-to method for increasing one’s jump. However, research has shown the most effective method is by combining plyometrics with resistance training (Perez-Gomez & Calbet, 2013).

The definition of power is force divided by speed. Plyometrics trains the speed component, but by neglecting weight training you are literally ignoring half of the equation.

If we think of power as a continuum of pure strength and pure speed, we want to be most specific to the activity’s place on the continuum without ignoring the other components. When it comes to jumping, focusing on the speed side whilst including heavier Barbell work to develop strength is most beneficial. Likewise, if we wanted to work on exploding out of a scrum, we would focus on strength work whilst including speed work.

You might have seen that viral video of Lebron James squatting, with internet experts joking they could squat better. Sure buddy. According to his manager Lebron James spends $1,500,000 a year (every year) taking care of his body and can afford to hand-pick the best strength and conditioning staff the world over. The dude knows what he’s doing.

From this humble writer’s vantage point (with a sports science degree but no first-hand access to Lebron James), it looks as if he is training the top end range of the squat, as it most closely simulates how far down he would dip to jump off of two feet (his program has not been publicly disclosed, this is based on conjecture). Here’s how you would work heavier resistance training into your own jumping program.

Notes on the overall training:

Rest up. Any strength coach will tell you that when it comes
to strength, power and speed; 1 good rep is better than 10 bad ones. Typically rest
periods of 3-5 minutes are recommended for improving power. Err on the side of resting
more than you need.

Exercise tempo is to be as fast and explosive as possible.
With heavy exercises you may not be actually moving fast, but that must be the
intention. Pause between each rep.

Always go from heaviest to lightest. Heavy weights activate
the CNS in a way that primes more muscle fibres to contract simultaneously for
a more intense contraction. This is known as post-activation potentiation. 

Power Bands are very effective for developing power, due to the increasing load the further you stretch the Power Bands. This teaches you to exert more force as you continue to movement, rather than slowing down as you reach the top.

If you want to jump higher, you need to jump. Plyo boxes are excellent for this, but make sure to reset each rep. Depth jumps are much more advanced than they are commonly made out to be, and I’d argue the cost to benefit ratio is not worth it.

Sample session:

Tweak the volume so that you are being specific to your requirements, rest up and be explosive. This sample session has been geared towards jumping off of two feet, but the same modality can be copied for sprinting with more focus on sled work, throwing using Dead Balls and other equipment, one legged vertical jumps, broad jumps, etc.

References

1. Perez-Gomez, J.A., & Calbet, J.A. (2013).
   Training methods to improve vertical jump performance. Journal Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 53(4): 33-57.