10.10.03
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Q: Joe,
My friend Conrad told me he talked to you on the phone about
your vertical jump program. Me and him have both done phase
1 of the “Vertical Unlimited” program. He is
already working out to train with your program. My goal
is also to play in the NBA. I’d love to push my body
with whatever work you suggest. I’m no stranger to
hard work. I love progressing. I’m about 6'0”
160lbs and I can just about touch the rim. Could you help
me with a program?
Thank you.
A: I usually don’t
design programs for just anyone who asks. Designing a specialized
program takes a lot of time and effort and I usually charge
big bucks for them. Although I don’t have the time
to design you a vertical jump program, I don’t want
to leave you hangin’, either. I did speak with Conrad
the other day and he seemed like a good kid. I could also
tell by our conversation that he was very dedicated to basketball.
What I’m going to do for you guys is post the sample
6-week program that I designed for the Vertical Jump book
that I co-wrote. I’d tell you to just go and buy the
book, but I don’t know where the proceeds of the book
are going anymore. Below you will find a sample 6-week program
that will improve your vertical jump. For descriptions of
the exercises, refer to my article in the “articles”
section of this site entitled, “The
Fab 15 – Top 15 Exercises for Higher Vertical Jumps.”
By the way, check out the picture of John
Iannuzzi doing single leg squats in the “training
pics” section of this site. John is the same age
as you and Conrad. He is a high school senior basketball
player here in New Jersey. He performed the exact 6-week
program shown below. Last week I tested his vertical jump.
He jumped 37”! If that doesn’t inspire you,
nothing will. This kid can jump so high that soon he’ll
be grabbing the rim with his teeth!
Good luck.
SAMPLE 6-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM
Some athletes are strong. Others are fast.
The best athletes are both strong and fast. When designing
programs to increase athlete’s verticals, we’ve
found that training for both speed (rate of force development)
and maximal strength, simultaneously, gets the best results.
If you only train for increased strength, without ever paying
attention to how fast you’re moving the weight, you
may get very strong, but not necessarily faster or more
explosive. This is why, in general, powerlifters can’t
jump as high as Olympic weightlifters. Too many powerlifters
train using heavy weights, which move slowly, all year long.
Instead of always trying to lift more than their friends
do, powerlifters should spend some time trying to lift faster
than their friends. The bottom line is if no speed work
is done, you will end up with a strong, slow athlete. On
the other hand, if you only train for speed and never increase
your maximal strength, you will not have enough of a strength
base to develop explosive power. So what the hell is an
athlete to do, you say? We will tell you one more time.
Train for both maximal strength and speed simultaneously
in your training cycle! The following program is designed
so that on Monday your main exercise is designed to increase
your max strength. Heavy weights will be used and the weights
will move slowly. On Thursday, your main lift will be dynamic
in nature. Speed is king on Thursday. Basically, the goal
is to lift heavier on Monday and faster
on Thursday.
We did not include any sample upper body
workouts in this program, but we recommend you lift upper
body 2 times during the week while on this program. You
can either split your upper body in half and lift on Tuesday(chest
& back) and Friday(shoulders, tris, bis). Or just do
a full upper body workout two times during the week. Whatever
you choose, remember to stick to the basics and keep your
workouts short and intense. After your warm-up, don’t
let these upper body workouts go longer than 45-50 minutes.
Remember that we’re going to the gym to make progress,
not friends. You don’t want to fry yourself out for
the Monday and Thursday workouts. Stick with incline benches,
chins, shoulder presses, etc. If you follow this program
for the full 6-weeks, you will be amazed at the progress
you will make. Who knows, you may even become a member of
“The Mile High Club”. (Not that Mile High Club,
stupid!)
Enough talk, let’s get to work!
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WEEKS 1 & 2
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Monday
A. Warm-up – Pogo
Jump warm-up then static hip flexor stretch
B. Trap Bar Deadlift off 4”
box – Warm-up to 4 sets of 5 reps, increasing
weight each set, rest 3 minutes between work sets.
C. Bulgarian Split Squats
– 3 sets of 8 reps each leg, rest 30 seconds between
each leg and 2 minutes between each set.
D. Reverse Hyperextensions
– 4 sets of 10 reps, rest 1 minute between sets
E. Weighted Swiss ball crunches
– (use either a rope attached to the low cable or
a dumbell held on your chest for resistance) 4 sets of
10 reps, rest 1 minute between sets.
Thursday
A. Warm-up – Pogo
Jump warm-up then static hip flexor stretch
B. Box Squats with bands
– Warm-up to 8 sets of 2 reps, resting 30 seconds
between sets
*Use maximal band tension with less bar weight.
*Use a box that is parallel or 1” above parallel.
*Have someone time your sets. The goal is to
perform the 2 reps in 2 seconds or less. Don’t raise
the weight until you’re able to perform all 8 sets
in under 2 seconds. Remember that speed is king on Thursday’s!
Adjust the weight accordingly.
C. Dumbell Swings off boxes
– 3 sets of 8 reps, rest 2 minutes between sets
D. Reverse Hyperextensions
– 3 sets of 10 reps, rest 1 minute between sets
E. Rotational Ab Work, using
hi & low cables – hi to low woodchoppers
– 3 X 10 reps each side, low to high – 3 X
10 reps each side, rest 30 seconds between sets
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WEEKS 3 & 4
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Monday
A. Warm-up – Pogo
Jump warm-up then static hip flexor stretch
B. Snatch Grip Deadlifts
– Warm-up to 4 sets of 4 reps, increasing the weight
each set, rest 3 minutes between work sets.
C. Bulgarian Split Squats
– 3 sets of 6 reps, rest 30 seconds between each
leg and 2 minutes between sets
D. Reverse Hyperextensions –
4 sets of 8 reps, rest 1 minute between sets
E. Weighted Swiss ball crunches
– (use either a rope attached to the low cable or
a dumbell held on your chest for resistance) 4 sets of
10 reps, rest 1 minute between sets.
Thursday
A. Warm-up – Pogo
Jump warm-up then static hip flexor stretch
B. Box Squats with bands
– Warm-up to 8 sets of 2 reps, resting 30 seconds
between sets.
*Perform this exercise in the same manner you did
during weeks 1 & 2. The only difference is
during weeks 3 & 4 you will use slightly less band
tension, but increase the barbell weight slightly.
C. Dumbell Swings off boxes
– 4 sets of 6, rest 2 minutes between sets
D. Standing Backward Medicine
ball throw – Perform 2 sets of 5 throws,
rest 1-2 minutes after the first 5 throws.
E. Rotational Ab work, using
hi & low cables – hi to low woodchoppers,
3 X 10 reps each side – low to hi, 3 X 10 reps each
side, rest 30 seconds between sets.
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WEEKS 5 & 6
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Monday
A. Warm-up – Pogo
Jump warm-up then static hip flexor stretch
B. Depth Jumps –
4 sets of 3 reps, rest 1 minute between each set of 3
jumps.
C. Power Snatch or Power Clean
– Warm-up to 4 sets of 3 reps, increasing weight
on each work set. Rest 3 minutes between work sets.
D. Reverse Hyperextensions
– 4 sets of 6 reps, rest 1 minute between sets.
E. Weighted Swiss ball crunches
– (use either a rope attached to a low cable or
hold a dumbell on your chest for resistance) 4 sets of
8 reps, rest 1 minute between sets.
Thursday
A. Warm-up – Pogo
Jump warm-up then static hip flexor stretch.
B. 50-rep Rhythm Squats, with
light band tension – Warm-up to 1 max set
of 50 reps!
C. Box Squats with bands
– Warm-up to 6 sets of 2 reps, resting 30 seconds
between sets. Perform this exercise in the same manner
as you have been, but decrease the band tension slightly
from what you were using the last 2 weeks and increase
the barbell weight. The goal is still to perform all sets
in 2 seconds or less!
D. Push Jerks –
Warm-up to 4 max sets. 1st set = 5 reps, 2nd set = 4 reps,
3rd set = 3 reps, 4th set = 2 reps. Rest 3 minutes between
work sets.
E. Medicine ball ab circuit
– toe touches X 20 reps, russian twists
X 20 reps, crunches X 20 reps – Perform this “circuit”
3 times. Rest 20 seconds between circuits.
* Test your vertical jump 3 – 5 days after
this workout after week six.
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