Jordan, LeBron, and the late, great Mr. Kobe Bryant.
NBA basketball players are among the most athletic individuals in the world, and the GOAT discussion will go on forever. Some will try to make the case for Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, maybe Dwyane Wade or Kevin Garnett, but we’ve pretty much got a consensus top 3. We all admire them, we all want to play like them, we all want to throw down a one handed dunk with no regard for human life like them.
If you’re under 6 feet tall, that may seem like an impossible dream, but 5’7″ Spud Webb would tell you otherwise. If you’re over 6 feet, you’ve already got a head start.
It is possible to increase your vertical jump height, and to increase it significantly. Michael Jordan had a 46″ vertical, LeBron’s is 44″. Sure, those are two ridiculously gifted athletes, but the ability to jump that high didn’t just happen.
Basketball players, along with other professional athletes, train their bodies with specific exercises to increase their power and explosiveness, which leads to a higher vertical leap.
You can find plenty of articles all over the internet on how to increase your vertical leap, but they’re all a little of this and a little of that. None of them seem to put it all together – that’s what we’re going to do here. You’ll find all the information you need, as well as the specific exercises you can do (and how to do them properly) to jump higher. If you want to skip right to the workout itself, just scroll to the bottom of the page. If you want to go more in-depth, read on.
Increasing Your Vertical Leap: The Science
The key determinant of jump height is mechanical power – the more power you can produce, the higher you’ll be able to jump. In physics, the definition of power is the rate with respect to time at which work is done; it’s the time derivative of work.
This is the actual equation. Not a physics major? That’s ok, we’ll break it down for you. Essentially, what this means is you’ve got to create as much force as you can directed toward the ground (which propels you the opposite way – up) as quickly as possible.
So there are two things you want to work on – building muscle and strength to produce more force, and training your body to exert that force more quickly. You can accomplish this through a mix of standard strength training and explosive, plyometric movements.
Your body has two different types of muscle fibers, generally categorized as “fast-twitch” and “slow-twitch”. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are what gets you through a long-distance run or bike ride. They contract at a slower rate and can function for long periods of time before becoming fatigued. Fast-twitch muscle fibers fire more quickly and are used to create short bursts of strength and speed.
Squats and deadlifts will help you build a solid foundation, strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings and core. These are the muscles that will produce most of the force used during your jump. Your calves play a major role also, but they’ll benefit more from the other half of the equation, plyometric work, which will help you develop those fast-twitch muscle fibers, train your body to produce force quickly, and convert your strength into explosive jumping power.
Plyometrics For The Win
3 of the best plyometric exercises to improve your jump are squat jumps, split squat jumps, and most importantly – depth jumps. Depth jumps are performed by stepping off an elevated surface (a bench or box) landing as softly as possible and immediately reversing motion into a maximal effort jump. Depth jumps are the single most effective exercise you can do to increase your vertical leap. Share on X The advantage is that it not only trains the concentric (or the “up”) part of the jump, but also the eccentric phase – when you bend down to get ready to leap. You may not think that’s a very important part of the process, but this is when your body has the most energy stored and ready to be used. You want to store as much energy as possible at the bottom of your squat and release it as fast as possible through your jump.
If you hold a basketball straight out in front of you and drop it, what happens? It bounces. Now if you hold it up as high as you can and drop it, it bounces higher. The momentum of the ball falling towards the ground is what creates the force that pushes down against the ground and propels it back into the air. This same principle applies to your body when you perform the depth jump. The weight of your body falling towards the ground adds to the force that you’re applying with your legs. This is why you can jump higher with a running start than you can from a stand-still, you get some added force from the momentum of your body.
Weighted Vest Training
Adding extra weight to your plyometric work will make it more productive. Some choose to wear ankle weights or hold dumbbells, but these both have disadvantages. The best option for basketball training is to wear a weighted vest.
The miR Air Flow Weighted Vest is a good option for jump training. It’s form-fitting to your body, adjustable, designed to keep you cool and even machine-washable.
The placement of the weight in the vest does not affect your center of gravity (as ankle weights do) and allows you to train using your natural jumping motion, including arm swing (which dumbbells do not). Just as you want to progressively increase the weight you lift, gradually adding weight to jumping exercises will help to recruit and strengthen your fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Plyometric training with a weighted vest conditions your body to perform better on many levels, not just leaping ability. It will help you run faster, cut harder, it will improve your agility and speed in every aspect of the game.
There’s a variety of vests to choose from. The RUNFast/Max Pro Vest is very highly rated and is available in different weight classes. The Hyperwear Hyper Vest PRO is also a good one. It’s little more expensive but it’s a very high-quality product and it fits extremely well. (You don’t want it bouncing around while you’re jumping)
Related Reading: Top 10 Weighted Vests Comparison Chart
Check out this video of Anthony Davis utilizing a weighted vest in preparation for his Lakers debut.
The Workout
The workout consists of 3 plyometric exercises – depth jumps, squat jumps, and split squat jumps, and 2 strength-building exercises – squats and deadlifts. Perform the workout twice a week on non-consecutive days – your body needs time to recover and grow stronger between each session. If your nutrition is on point and you’re a little more experienced with lifting, you can move up to 3 times a week or add in a few extra sets.
The plyometric work should be performed first. Squats and deadlifts will fatigue your muscles to the point that you won’t get the maximum benefit out of the plyo work. Once you have some experience with each jumping movement, add the weighted vest. This will allow you to further stimulate those fast-twitch fibers to grow stronger and fire faster.
Depth Jumps – 3 Sets of 8 to 10
Depth jumps are performed by stepping off an elevated surface (a bench or box) landing on both feet as softly as possible and immediately reversing motion into a maximal effort jump. The height of the starting surface depends on your personal preference and level of ability. For a beginner, around 10-12 inches is a good starting point and can be increased as you make progress.
When you land, squat down enough to produce a full strength jump, but reverse the movement into the jump as fast as possible. The jump should not be completely vertical, you want to jump slightly forward as this will translate to better in-game ability. You’re rarely standing still and jumping straight up. Even going up for a rebound usually involves some forward motion. You want to train your body for the horizontal movement as well as the vertical.
Every jump should be performed with maximum effort – jump as high as you possibly can. You can do these in sets of 8 or 10, but there’s no need to rush through them. This isn’t meant to be a cardio workout. Give yourself a quick breather between each rep as you set up for the next. You want to recover enough to exert maximal effort on each jump. Rest for 1-2 minutes between each set.
Squat Jumps – 3 Sets of 8 to 10
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly squat down with your back straight and chest up. Once your thighs are parallel to the floor, explode upwards and jump as high as possible. Again, remember to jump slightly forward. You want to land about a foot in front of where you left the ground. Rest for 1-2 minutes between each set. Squat jumps will specifically train the concentric part of your jump and condition your body to exert force more quickly.
Split Squat Jumps – 3 Sets of 8 to 10
Start in a split squat position – right leg forward with foot flat on the ground and knee bent at 90 degree angle, left leg behind you with your toes on the ground. Jump straight up as high as you can and land with your legs in the reversed position, repeat from that reversed position. That’s one rep. Rest for 1-2 minutes between each set. Split squat jumps target your hamstrings and calves and help you jump higher from a full-speed run as they mimic taking off from a large stride.
Barbell Back Squats – 3 sets of 8
Start with feet shoulder width apart, barbell across the back of your shoulders holding it with an overhand grip. Squat down by bringing your hips back and bending at the knee. Keep your back straight and chest up. Once your thighs are parallel to the ground, control the movement back up to starting position. Rest for 2-3 minutes between each set. Use a weight that you can perform 8 reps with, but the last rep should be very difficult. Once you can perform 8 reps easily, it’s time to add more weight to the bar.
Deadlifts – 3 Sets of 5
Start with the middle of your feet directly under the bar shoulder width apart. Bend over and grab the bar with an overhand grip just slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend your knees so that your shins almost touch the bar. Keep your back straight and chest up throughout the movement. Stand straight up. Bring your hips forward, chest up, and straighten your lower back. Lower the weight back to the floor by reversing the movement. Rest for 1-2 seconds with the weight on the floor before performing the next rep. Rest 3-4 minutes between each set. Use a weight that you can perform 5 reps with, but only 5. You should be too fatigued to lift a 6th rep. When you think you can get that 6th rep, add more weight to the bar.
Nutrition: Fuel Your Physique
You can’t make something out of nothing. If you want to build muscle and strength, you have to eat in a slight caloric surplus to give your body the building blocks it needs. But don’t think that gives you a green light to hit McDonald’s for lunch every day. Minimally-processed, whole nutritious foods will fuel your body to perform better, grow stronger, and jump higher. For a complete breakdown of a muscle-building diet, check out this article over at Men’s Health.
Summary
Increasing your vertical leap is very possible, it just takes some effort. Building muscle and strength in your legs, core, and posterior chain will allow you to exert more force at the onset of your jump. Plyometric training will develop and strengthen fast-twitch muscle fibers and condition your body to exert that force quickly and powerfully getting you higher into air. So get to work. Get stronger. Jump higher. Posterize somebody.
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