I loved an article that Bret Contreras wrote a while back called “The 50 Rules of Commercial Gym Etiquette”.
I personally thought it would be fun to write something similar regarding vertical jump training, so here goes; The 30 commandments of vertical jump training. I hope that this allows you to reflect on training your vertical leap in a lighthearted (or maybe serious) manner!
The 30 Commandments of Training Vertical
Commandments 1-10
I. Thou shall practice jumping as high as thou is able, at least 3-4x a week. Thou shalt make sure at least a few of thy training days art in an environment where thou shalt be motivated to leap higher than thou hast in the past.
II. Thou shalt not train only by thyself. Thou shall find a training partner, group, or energetic area in which to increase thy vertical. Thou must realize that maximal CNS recruitment will only happen when thou art in a highly excited physical state.
III. Thou shall strength train to increase thy available motor pool in explosive movement and provide stability to thou’s joints and posture. Thou shalt remember that the majority of thy strength training to increase vertical should be performed as explosively as possible on each repetition.
IV. Thou shalt realize that thy squat is important in regards to how high thou jumps, but thou shall not obsess about thy squat number in relation to thy vertical leap. Thou shalt not attempt to take shortcuts or find the latest powerlifting craze in an attempt to bring thou’s squat to the level thou thinks it should be at to reach a certain vertical leap.
V. Thou shalt include olympic lifts in thy vertical training program only if thou has qualified coaching and can perform thy lifts with full hip extension and proper technique. Otherwise thou shall realize that lifts like the hex bar deadlift can be just as effective for increasing thy jumping. If thou performest olympic lifts in thy program, thou would be wise to keep thy reps under 3 for thou sets.
VI. Thou shalt not strength train obsessively to increase thy vertical for thou shalt be wise to remember that speed, power, and skill must also be included in thine program.
VII. Thou shalt keep thy strength training simple and thou shalt work primarily within the rep ranges of 3-12RM when thou trainest thy vertical jump in the weightroom. Thou shall realize that thou does not have to train higher than 3RM on a regular basis as thy body may respond negatively if thou performest it too often.
VIII. Thou shall include calf raises in thy training program, even if thou comes up with a scientific explanation not to, thou shall realize that Dr. Yuri Verkhoshanski recommended them for jumping higher so thou shalt put away thy scientific texts on muscle-tendon interaction or lower-leg vertical contribution and doeth thy calf raises anyways.
IX. Thou shalt master thy bodyweight in basic strength training exercises before thou attempts to perform more advanced exercises. Thou shalt learn to perform bodyweight squats and control thine own pelvic tilt in activities such as pushups before thou thinketh it wise to put a 250lb bar on thy back.
X. Thou shalt perform the majority of thy squats to parallel or lower, but thou shalt realize that just because a squat isn’t to parallel doesn’t mean that it won’t help increase thy vertical leap. Thou shalt not be overly critical of half squats and thou shall realize that many world class athletes and trainers make use of squats to higher than parallel depth.
Commandments 11-20
XI. Thou shall make special effort to train the glutes extensively as thou must realize their importance to thy vertical, particularly thy vertical off of one leg. Thou shall learn how to execute hip thrusts and glute ham raises in thy training program for this purpose. Thou shall include light exercises to activate the hip muscles as part of thy warmup.
XII. Thou shall include speed and acceleration training in thy vertical leap training program and thou shalt realize that speed and jumping are related motor abilities.
XIII. Thou shall know the difference between maximal and submaximal plyometrics and thou shall realize when to implement each type in thy program. Thou shall focus primarily on maximal plyometrics when thou has a good training base and is intensely training to increase thy vertical.
XIV. Once thou hast mastered the basics of training, thou must perform depth jumps to continue to increase thy vertical leap. Thou must know that depth jumps will make it possible for thou to specifically overload the jumping motion.
XV. Thou must make thy training as goal oriented as possible (overhead targets, bounding distances), especially whilst performing plyometrics. Thou shalt attempt to beat thy best marks each time thou trains intensely.
XVI. Thou shalt not fear depth jumping off boxes higher than 60cm (24″)
XVII. Thou shall be as smooth and quiet as possible whilst performing thy plyometric drills. Thou shalt realize that elite jumpers are very smooth and efficient and thou shalt try and emulate those athletes. Thou must also aim for perfect posture whilst performing thy depth jumps.
XVIII. Thou must reduce thy ground contact time in thou’s plyometrics if thou wishes to increase thy power.
XIX. Thou shalt spend some of thy time learning about therapeutic techniques to improve the quality of thy muscle tissues. Thou shalt become friends with thy softball, lacrosse ball, and of course, thy PVC pipe roller.
XX. Thou shalt not train primarily in strength shoes to increase thy vertical, if thou trains with strength shoes, thou shall realize strength shoes/jumpsoles shalt be only used at the end of a workout to finish off thy calves. Thou shalt not believe athletes who claim training in strength shoes increased thy vertical to thy current level and thou shalt realize a marketing scam when thou sees one.
Commandments 21-30
XXI. Thou shalt spend thou’s time recovering by eating a proper diet (proper nutrient timing, avoiding trans-fats, avoiding refined foods, limiting alcohol consumption), getting enough sleep, and properly managing stress in thou’s life.
XXII. Thou shalt set goals and find daily inspiration to train and to achieve ones highest performance. Thou shall place thy goals where thou can see them on a daily basis so thou whilst be more likely to achieve thy goals.
XXIII. Thou shalt not “program hop” in thou’s quest of increasing thy vertical leap. Thou must be familiar with principles of training and thou must not think that switching training programs constantly will lead thou to consistently better gains.
XXIV. Thou shalt have a well rounded program when venturing to increase thy vertical leap. Thou shall remember the five biomotor abilities when training thy vertical: Speed, Strength, Suppleness, Skill and Stamina. Thou shall realize that while some stamina training is important (and good for thou’s recovery), too much will decrease thy vertical leap.
XXV. Thou shalt not train as intensely as possible throughout thy training year. Thou must remember to take deloading periods so thy nervous system stays fresh, allowing thou to attain maximal gains over a long period of time.
XXVI. Thou must seek to gradually increase thy work capacity through thy training years. Thou must realize that thou will outgrow thy two-day per week training program thou started 3 years ago.
XXVII. Thou shall realize that thou must make changes to thy training as thou moves from beginner training status to elite training status. Thou must know that thou must lift heavier weights and train more specifically as thou movest from a low to high level of preparedness.
XXVIII: Thou shall keep thy training exciting. Thou shall make sure to play team games such as basketball or volleyball occasionally to keep thous psychological state fresh whilst training.
XXIX: Thou shall keep a training log and record thy progress. Thou shall reward thyself when thou reaches thy goals.
XXX. Thou shalt remember the difference between standing and running vertical jumps when thy claims thou hast a 40″ vertical leap. Thou shalt be humble when describing thy vertical and thou shalt let thy performances talk for thyself whilst sharing thy vertical with others. Thou shalt not be overly critical of others performance claims, even if another hast a lying tongue regarding thy vertical jumping ability.
Thank you for reading these! I hope they will improve thy training…. or at least make you laugh. If either is accomplished, I feel this post is a success.
Joel
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