Hi
Christian, love your work! My question is about vertical jump. I?m 5?9? and my vert is 29?. I can squat twice my BW. Do you have any recommendations of training methods to improve my vert. Should I go with the CAD-complex? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am most definately not CT, but Im thinkin that the CAD system would be good as it encompesses plyo, ballistic exercise, RFD exercise, and ME exercise, which are all key in increasing vert and it would be good. You could also try his HTT as it encompasses an oly lift(RFD), assistance lift(explosive), max strength lift, and a max strength assistance move. My workout is a hybird of both starting with the heavy exercises first then progressing down to more explosive ones, but keeping plyo seperate, and it has worked well for me, so either would be great
Thanks numba56.
Could you give me an example of your workout?
Also anyone that feels they got something to contribute with; please go ahead. As previously sad help is greatly appreciated.
My workout is a pretty CNS draining one because of my current situation, let me post my workout with a more proper split, which Ill do later because I have a mad amount of AP homework right now. But what you could do is something like 1 block CAD, 1 block HTT then repeat. Ill post my workout soon for you though.
Looking forward to it, good luck with your homework!
Where can i find more information on CAD-complex training and HTT? Is there any books?
I’m not an expert at all. and my guess is you jump alot higher than me with your 29" vert…
but as far as I know, jumping high has alot to do with your form (like how you get your back, arms, even snapping your head some would say, etc involved). and how fast you go down before you go up, etc.
if you don’t have trouble squatting twice your body weight, I think the strength is there already. I’m not saying you should ditch your workout or anything like that, but I think working on your form and speed will give you immediate results.
again, I’m no expert, that’s just my 2 cents.
good luck
If you are full squatting twice bodyweight the problems lies in your rate of force developmen. You need to do explosive drills (the CAD program is good in that regard).
However if you are 1/2 or 1/4 squatting twice your bodyweight it doesn’t mean much.
is there a book on CAD? Where can I get CT’s book?
When I?m squatting I descend to parallel.
For more info about the CAD-complex read this thread.
Energy, define parallel …
Is it hamstring-line parallel to the floor or quad line parallel to the floor. There’s a BIG difference between the two! Up to 4-6" in range of motion, which could translate into a 20-40lbs difference.
I consider a squat in which the hamstring-line is parallel (in most peoples that will give a knee angle of 90 degrees) to the floor to be a 1/2 squat.
Would training the squat and other such movements below the depth that you dip to jump be worthwhile?
Yes, the squat should not be seen as a specific exercise but as a general strengthening exercise for the whole lower body.
You can however overload the specific range of motion required in vertical jumping. The best method of doing so is using jumpstretch bands strapped on the bar: these will allow you to do a full squat while overloading the jump-specific portion of the ROM.
1/4 squats are also a good overloading tool, but they should never be anything more than an assistance exercise.
I like jump squats better than 1/4 for the development of jumping capacities though.
The quad line is parallel to the floor. I also use a wide stance.
Monday
Running-1 min between reps for every ten meters, 1 min per rep between sets, add 5m per week, taking 5 off in week 4. The first set is done from a 3pt stance, the second with a lying start.
2x5x45m
Running varries from phase to phase and I can send you that if youd like as well
Weights-For a warm up I choose a high rep DB exercise and go until I get 50 reps, this gets my blood flowing nicely, I do 5 reps at a time, rest 15 sec and continue until I get the 50 reps on both mon and fri. I use the same exercise for the entire week, but change each week between DB Snatch, DB Clean and Press, DB Swings, DB Swing Snatch, DB Squat Pull. For weights I use a uniform rest of 2 min and set/rep schemes vary by the phase and I can post those later if youd like.
1)Snatch Movement
A)From Floor
B)From blocks below knees
C)From blocks above knees
2)Snatch Deadlift Movement
A)From Floor
B)From Blocks Below Knees
C)From Blocks above knees
D)From Podium
E)Eccentric Deadlift
3)Hip Extension Movement
A)Stiff Leg Deadlift
B)Single Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift
C)Keystone Deadlift
D)Single Leg Key Stong Deadlift
E)Good Mornings(i like these the most)
Here I take a ten minute break before moving on to the next part
4)Pressing Movement
A)Bench Press
B)Incline Bench Press
C)Military Press
D)DB Versions of the above
5)Tricep Movement
A)Overhead Extension
B)Press Down
C)Skill Crusher
6)Lat Movement
A)DB Row
B)BB Row
C)Underhand Grip BB Row
Tues
Plyometrics-2 min between sets and exercises
1)Alt. Landings-3x5
2)SLJ-5x1
3)Box Jumps-3x8(1st set both legs, 2nd left, 3rd right)
4)Alt. Landings Push Ups-3x5
Conditioning-I use the card game w/ 20 sec rest and work time is determined by the card drawn. I go through the whole deck for each exercise, for example face cards=10 sec work and the othe rcards equal their value in sec etc…)
1)Star Jumps
2)Squat Thrusts
3)Hip Thrusts
4)Mountain Climbers
Wed
Plyometrics
1)Bounding-3x30m
Running
1)2x5 hills
2)3x25m
Extra Work-2min between sets
1)Single Leg Hypers-3x6
2)Explosive Reverse Hypers-3x6
3)Glute Ham Raises-3x6
Conditioning-Card Game
1)Clap Push Ups
2)Pull-Ups
3)Dips
Thursday
Rest
Friday
Running-Same as Monday
Weights
1)Clean Movement
A)From Floor
B)From Blocks Below Knees
C)From Blocks Above Knees
2)Clean Pull
A)From Floor
B)From Blocks Below Knees
C)From Blocks above knees
3)Squat Movement
A)Box Squat
B)1/4 Squat
C)Single Leg 1/4 Squat
D)Front Squat
E)Olympic Squat
4)Explosive Movement
A)Jump Squat
B)Vertical Leap Snatch Grip
10 min break
5)Jerk Movement
A)Split
B)Power
6)Push Press
A)In front of neck
B)Behind Neck
Sat
Plyometrics-2 min between sets and exercises
1)Standing Triple Jump-5x1
2)Depth Jumps-3x5
3)Counter Movement Jumps-3x5
4)Depth Push-Ups-3x5
Thanks numba56, this is awesome. It?s some serious training and you seem to have a great knowledge. What kind of sport(s) are you into?
Some questions about the program:
-
You have most of your plyometric work separated from the strength work (except maybe on Fridays). Do you feel that?s the best way to go? Just wondering since many talks so much about complex training.
-
Could you explain these exercises; Vertical Leap Snatch Grip and Hip/Squat Thrusts?
-
Do you alternate between the exercises labelled with A), B)? Cause it seems harsh to squeeze?em all into one workout.
-
On the squat and Olympic lifts how many reps is typical in a workout, < 6 ?
-
There?s no isolation work for the calves. Is that not necessary?
I would love if you posted your running schedule as well. I already do quite a lot of interval training but usually just 30sec intervals.
Thanks again man, I?m really grateful. This is great stuff.
I dont really know that much, i just read everything I can by CT and everything on the charliefrancis.com website and try to put it together.
- You have most of your plyometric work separated from the strength work (except maybe on Fridays). Do you feel that?s the best way to go? Just wondering since many talks so much about complex training.
I could be wrong but I took complex training as performing a ME exercise followed by a more explosive, RFD focused exercise. And if you look at the weights i tried to order them(according to lower or upper) in the order of ME, Lowest RFD exercise, then next lowest and so on, then assistance work. Oly lifts and their pull go first because they are the most demanding so they require you be your freshest. I do plyo’s on off days, even though some one told me it was considered high intensity, because it is my belief that the duration of each rep and set is so low and total volume is low that it would be fine. And also to ensure quality reps i seperate them.
- Could you explain these exercises; Vertical Leap Snatch Grip and Hip/Squat Thrusts?
They are body weight exercises(with squat thrusts you could hold dumbbells i suppose). Ill give you a link to a page where these are described(they call them burpees) but hip thrusts are just laying on your back with your heels planted on the ground like your about to do a crunch, then raising your hips as high as you can, i use it as a easier exercise to end my card game workout. Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION, go there and scroll down to complex two, there itll describe burpees.
- Do you alternate between the exercises labelled with A), B)? Cause it seems harsh to squeeze?em all into one workout.
The exercises listed are listed under a category(thanks for the idea CT) and what you do is rotate them based upon the phase your in or in the phase just to keep up variety and so you can stay at a high intensity without burning out the CNS(thanks Louie Simmons).
- On the squat and Olympic lifts how many reps is typical in a workout, < 6 ?
It again depends on the phase, but typically I dont end up going above 20-25 total reps as in the H phase I build to a 5RM, in the S phase a 3RM and in the P phase I do 10x1. For Oly lifts the most I end up doing is in the H phase, which is 12, then 10 total reps for both the S and P phase(5x2 and 10x1).
- There?s no isolation work for the calves. Is that not necessary?
No, sprinting and plyo give you calves enough.
Again though this is a hard hitting CNS weight schedule(even at only two days a week) and every 4th week I go for PB in DL, Squat, Bench, Pwr Clean, and Pwr Snatch. I do DL Squat and Bench in one day, power meet style, and Pwr Clean and Pwr Snatch in one Day(norm on mon and thurs just to give myself extra time off) and I cut running waaaaayyy down in order to ward off over training so be careful using this and watch for signs of overtraining(CT warned me of this).
so whats your vert numba56??
how much has it improved since you started doing this style of training??
If you had all the time in the world to train would you split things up difrently??
Dunno my vert, and I just made this maybe two weeks ago and yes if I had a different time situation I would split the weights up into a three days split and do the energy system work on mon and fri. My best jumps has been when I used a similar program, but a lot more basic(I used a An oly lift, its pull, A ME exercise, then a plyo three days a week). It worked well at increasing my speed and explosiveness, but Ive always been able to jump pretty nicely, but right now im 5’11" 217lbs and i can grab the rim with one hand, when I was doing the serious weight training(hmmmmm summer id suppose before football started) i could go 50/50 on a one handed dunk witha run up buit the ones i missed were because i cannot palm the ball. So ive gained 12lbs and havent trained in a while but lost very little of my vert. Before the serious weight training and plyo, i could hit the rim, so serious basic weight training progressed me from hitting the rim to dunking one handed.
Numba56, you?re probably right about the complex training. I?ve always thought it had to be a pure strength exercise followed by a plyo exercise.
I red about CAT in CT?s ?Behind the Iron Curtain? article. Should I try to perform my strength exercises the CAT way?