Whenever I get on Facebook, Twitter, to the gym, even the local park, this question seems to HAUNT athletes who want to jump higher.
“Adam, what exercise will make me jump higher?” or “Adam, what exercise will make me jump higher the quickest?”
And one by one I get to break each one of their hearts with the truth…
No No! It’s OK Tyler Hansbrough! Don’t Cry, this is the truth and you should be happy!
What you need to know and understand when you step into the realm of athletic training is…..
…..there is NO one exercise, or two, or even three exercises alone that are going to dramatically increase your vertical!
In order to jump higher, you MUST get stronger. Not just in your jumping leg, or both legs… you need your ENTIRE body to get stronger! Jumping requires about every muscle in your body to be performed which means you gotta target as many muscles as possible; and some amazing exercises when training to jump higher are:
- Squats
- Dead Lifts
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Push Jerk
- Olympic Lifts (Cleans and Snatch)
If you concentrate on just these exercises, you WILL get stronger in some areas of your body, and you may increase your vertical leap a little bit, but not nearly as much as you want too!
Now couple the exercises above with quality upper body work, some bench press, some military press, some pull ups, dips, arm raises, some lunges, with a QUALITY, and detailed core strengthening program (And If You Have A 6 Pack, It Doesn’t Mean Your Abs Are Strong!) and BOOM, NOW your getting stronger!
Your entire body is nothing more than a three linked chain! Your upperbody, then your core, and finally your lower body! You need to give these areas equal emphasis in your training!
If you have a weak link in your chain, you will not increase your vertical leap very much at all, and eventually that weak link will break and you’ll get injured….
Once you get your links nice strong, then you can start doing explosive training and plyometrics which will make your muscles fire faster than Popeye’s after a can of Spinach! I really hope this makes sense and is helpful towards your journey to accomplishing your goals. Obviously you are serious about your game if you are reading this, which is why I ask you to give me a chance to take you to the NEXT level of dominance.
Simply TRY out my Become a Freak V2 program 100% Risk Free and let me know how many inches you gain and how your life CHANGES as you become the BEST athlete in your town, city, state, even country! Go grab your copy at www.becomethefreak.com
Til’ Next Time!
Adam
Adam Linkenauger is a vertical jump coach in Roanoke, Virginia, owner of Vertfreak101, aka Freak Athletics llc, a 7x ACC Champion High jumper, an ACC Record Holder, A Clemson University Record holder, and the 2009 Powerade Ion 4 National Dunk Contest Champion. Adam Linkenauger has appeared in numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, ESPN2, theacc.com, and also NBC, CBS, and Fox affiliated Networks.