It’s been a minute, but my best vertical came as a result of two things:
- getting big and strong
- jumping a lot
Now let me break that down a bit more. I spent January to March bulking. I went from about 220 to 240 something. I lived in a great environment to achieve that because I worked in the gym and had access to a cafeteria from 6am to 9pm. Another key to that is that I had been 240 prior to that and cut down to 220. Gaining weight is easier the second time around.
The workout part of that was no joke. It’s funny because I was just thinking about this and mentioned it in my log. I had two training sessions and did them both twice a week.
Push Day
Squat
Squat and Press
Reverse Lunge
Incline
Dips
Skull Crusher
Pull Day
Clean Pull
Hang Clean Pull
RDL
Bent-Over Row (anyone else’s lower back tired from reading this?)
Curls and maybe one other thing (pull-ups?)
I think the first couple weeks were 3 x 10 on everything. The second time through each session was 20% lighter. For example, if I squatted 135 lbs for 3 x 10 on Monday (which is where I started since I decided to squat to full depth for the first time ever), I’d do 110 lbs on Thursday. I was sore enough and fatigued enough that I needed the lighter session and it helped with my progress.
After the 3 x 10 weeks, I did 3 x 5 for a week or two and then everything jumped to 5 x 5. Those were long sessions.
In addition to the lifting, I was shooting and jumping on the court a lot. I didn’t do a plyometric program, but I’d shoot a jump shot and rebound and dunk it every time I missed. I know you’re working up to that part, but the key here is to jump as high as you can every time you miss a shot. Some days I’d shoot a 3 and keep going until I could get a put-back dunk on my miss. That’s tricky by the way.
There are tons of ways to get stronger. Pick one and put effort into it. Don’t slack off. Don’t skip workouts. And eat enough to recover (not like a slob though). In addition that that, just jump. There are tons of free programs online.
A general plyometric guide is to get about 80 to 100 contacts per workout about twice per week. If you jump on one foot 10 times on each leg, that’s 10 contacts. If you jump onto a box, each jump is a contact. Count every jump and landing. Build up to 120 or more contacts over about four weeks. More is not always better when it comes to plyometrics. Be smart or you’ll be injured and won’t reach your goal.
I forgot to mention that my peak vertical was achieved around 225 lbs of bodyweight. I cut back down a bit before my basketball tryout. It was really just a result of not intentionally bulking and training hard. It didn’t really feel like a cut.