• 1

  YOU DON'T WARM-UP THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

  Every day before training, you need to be doing POWERFUL movements (Med Ball Throws, Jumps, Sprints, etc.). Just going in and lifting or attempting to dunk won't cut it. In the Vertical Jump Protocol, Central Nervous System Warm-Up is done each training to session to increase strength, power, and ultimately, vertical jump ability.

• 3

  YOU'RE NOT TRAINING THE UPPER BODY

  Arm swing is a huge contributor to jump height. Using the French Contrast Method for the upper body, you will gain strength, speed, and power all at once. Over the course of these 5-weeks, a more POWERFUL upper body arm swing will get you bunnies.

• 5

  YOUR ANKLES SUCK

  If you can't dorsiflex and your big toe isn't strong, you're leaving gains on the table. All the power from the arms, legs, and torso must ultimately go through the foot and ankle. If these two areas are dysfunctional, you won't maximize your jump height. It's as if you're jumping from a sandpit versus jumping from a bouncy floor. The ankle rocker series and 'pushing through the big toe' will get you up there.

• 7

  YOU AREN'T TRAINING THE HIPS

  If Hip Thrusts, Split Squats, and Trap Bar Deadlifts aren't a mainstay in your vertical jump program, you should put them in. These exercises strengthen the hips to a high degree.
  This takes pressure off your knees, increases hip power, and naturally shifts the body to a more hip-dominant jumping style (because a high level of strength is there).

• 9

  YOU'RE NOT SQUATTING WITH BANDS

  When you jump, you accelerate all the way through take-off. When you squat heavy, you get lazy on the way up (otherwise the bar would come off your back). Attaching bands to the bar FORCES you to accelerate all the way up. Over time, this helps squat strength better transfer to vertical jump power.

• 2

  YOU DON'T USE THE FRENCH CONTRAST METHOD

  Basic physics says the vertical jump is a POWER movement. Doing heavy squats isn't enough. Doing drop jumps isn't enough. You need to cover all aspects of POWER (meaning both FORCE and VELOCITY). French Contrast trains everything and does so super efficiently.

• 4

  YOU'RE NOT DOING CONCENTRIC-ONLY REPS

  The Central Nervous System (CNS) makes you explosive. It's what separates guys like Allen Iverson from the guys playing pickup ball at the Y. To train your CNS to be explosive, concentric-only (upwards-only) lifting has major effects. It involves higher rate coding, better motor unit recruitment, and ultimately, better gains in vertical jump performance. This is utilized on Thursdays and Fridays in the Vertical Jump Protocol.

• 6

  YOU AREN'T JUMPING WITH THE HIPS

  Poor jumpers don't use their hips enough when they jump. Better jumpers gravitate towards a hip-dominant strategy. Twice-per-week vertical jump testing will give you the chance to film, analyze, and optimize your jump technique to use the hips more effectively. This simple change can add inches!

• 8

  YOU'RE TAKING TOO MANY DAYS OFF

  When you chill for the weekend, your Monday performance suffers. By going in the gym and performing 5 sets of 4 reps of weighted jumps, it has been shown to increase vertical jump ~5% for the next day. It also makes you feel more ready to train, increases strength, and keeps your CNS firing so you feel like an absolute beast more often.

• 10

  YOU AREN'T DOING MAXIMAL ISOMETRIC HOLDS

  Jumping and lifting can leave you with weak links. If you don't train isolated positions, these weakness will never be strengthened. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". Using short-duration, maximal isometrics, you can strengthen these weak links to the highest degree - keeping you strong in all areas.

Thank you man!!! I can dunk now.  Thx to your workout plan.  I went from a 30" inch vert to a 41" inch vert in the past year.  Thanks to your program.

David V.

Thanks for the tips I can dunk now at the age of 16

Dex K. Basketball Athlete