My Vertical

[Sticks]

Hey swaggin, I need your help man. Could you help me make a workout routine in the weights room? I'm 5'9, 160 pounds and I play college basketball and basically I play point guard. I'm planning to do a VJB program too. Could you help me make a 3x a week workout program? Thanks in advance man!

It would be much better for you to go to the gym and talk with a local trainer. They can give you much advice specified for your bodytype.

[EliteBaller56]

Im 5'11 and 13 in the 7th grade. I come like an inch from the bottom of the backboard..my leap is 19 inches

[Swaggin916]

Hey swaggin, I need your help man. Could you help me make a workout routine in the weights room? I'm 5'9, 160 pounds and I play college basketball and basically I play point guard. I'm planning to do a VJB program too. Could you help me make a 3x a week workout program? Thanks in advance man!

First of all, I wouldn't have you do a 3X a week lower body program no matter what your body type is. An intense plyo/heavy lifting program shouldn't be done any more than twice a week, and I think once a week is the right amount.

Basically what you do, is 3-8 super explosive reps per movement. You already have half of the info right there. Now, it just comes down to what exercises and how many sets of them you do.

A program would look something like this

Dynamic stretching: Butt kickers, leg swings, arm circles etc. to help your body warm and muscles stretched out for an intense workout.

High Object touches: 3 sets X 6 reps. Find object (a bball hoop for example) and just jump as high as you can and see how high you can touch. I think this is a simple (but great) exercise to help really get yourself going in the workout and it helps with jumping form.

Depth Jumps: 3 sets X 5 reps - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teyc5pxc_ These are fantastic for building reactive strength which helps to get that bounce quicker. The quicker you can bounce, the higher you will get.

Triple jump: 2 sets X 1 - Like the ones you see in track. This is a good exercise because like every other exercise I am giving you, it's very explosive, but it helps with 1 leg explosion. I guarantee you after 2 months of this program if you aren't a 2 foot jumper right now, you will become one. That's just the way it works unless you are an insane specimen like Lebron, Shannon Brown, etc. and have insane natural bounce off 1 leg like.

20 yard dash: 2 sets - Simple 20 yard dash. Sprint for 20 yards as fast as you can.

Pro Agility Drill: 2 sets - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czv6v29pCc8 Basically just put 3 objects down 5 yards from each other, start out in the middle, and then do what the guy did in the video. This helps with change of direction which is much more important than straight line speed in basketball. A lot of routines don't have this exercise, but it's very explosive and basketball relative.


Ok so those are the plyometrics. You shouldn't be feeling tired at this point... instead you should be feeling like you do after a pickup game to 12... ya know that point where you feel like you can jump out of the gym. If you don't feel quite like that, but still explosive, that's fine. You certainly don't want to be anything close to burnt out at this point though because you have weight training next. If you feel burnt out, cut back on the sets. BTW you should be resting at least 2 minutes in between sets. Ok now onto the weight training.


Squats: 3 sets X 5 reps (do a couple of warmup sets first increasing the weight so when you do the weight you can only do 5 reps of it doesn't feel like a million pounds).

Step Ups: 3 X 6 reps (with dumbells) - find a bench where you can step up onto it. I do one leg at a time... so step on, the off, then repeat with that same leg for 6 reps. Alternating legs in between reps is counter productive in my opinion... it takes too long and begins to focus more on stamina than explosion.

Hamstring curls: 3 X 6 reps - I like the ones where you lay on your stomach and curl the weight to your butt... but you can also do the ones where you are sitting down and curling the weight to the floor.

Double leg calf raises 2 X 8
Single leg calf raises 2 X 8

Both calf raises should be done very explosively and with relatively light weight. I like to bend my knees a little and then explode up onto my toes to simulate a jump. The weight will be light, but it will still burn even after only 8 reps.


OK that is a typical vertical jump increasing program. If you did that for a month, you'd probably gain 2-4 inches on your vert. I would take 2 weeks off after that and then start up a similar routine but with a few different exercises to keep the body in a state of shock (It's going to be shocked as shit though if you have never done this type of workout before though). Feel free to try it if you wish. Once a week for a month should not give you any sort of knee pain... that is the main problem with these kinds of programs, they can really mess up your knees if you aren't careful. So always be alert and listen to your body. Never do this workout during basketball season. It's strictly an off season routine. I would just focus on shooting, handling, and other low intensity exercises to keep your game up for the month that you do this... avoid high intensity games. Messing around with some friends is fine, but rest is so important with this program. You nest rest to recover and rebuild. Make sure you are taking in a lot of protein too... you are going to need it.

[OC_09]

Thanks a lot for the help man. How bout for my upper body workout what would you suggest I would do and how often? By the way, I'm from the Philippines and there are few people that I could really ask for help here. Thanks again!

[Swaggin916]

Do you have access to a gym with weights everyday?

[AJ2k8]

I know you've probably answered this a few times by now but if that workout is an off-season workout is there any workouts that can be done during the basketball season to improve vertical?

[EliteBaller56]

I know you've probably answered this a few times by now but if that workout is an off-season workout is there any workouts that can be done during the basketball season to improve vertical?

Yeah.
20 Calf Raises
10 Monkey Jumps
10 per leg Single Leg Tucks
And 12 Step Ups for each leg

[OC_09]

Yeah I have access to a gym and I think most of the equipment that I would need for weight-lifting are there.

[Swaggin916]

I know you've probably answered this a few times by now but if that workout is an off-season workout is there any workouts that can be done during the basketball season to improve vertical?

Not really. The constant beating you are putting on your body through all the practices and games will prevent you from making any significant gains. It's best to just wait until you have a few of months to dedicate solely to increasing your vertical jump. The gains you make during those months will most likely whittle down during the season... but your vert still will be higher than it was before you started training. When the next off season comes around, train your vert again... and the cycle continues until your vert is always good.

Actually, I think hitting a heavy set of squats a week would be good for you in season. By doing that, you should be able to maintain some of your strength and you'll still have the motion down. So yea... a set or 2 of squats and maybe a set of Step-ups would probably be just fine.

Yeah I have access to a gym and I think most of the equipment that I would need for weight-lifting are there.

Well what is your goal? Are you looking to build power? strength? endurance? all 3? How much weight are you looking to gain? There are so many different ways to train upper body. Training for power will make you gain the most weight and size, training for strength will get you the most muscular definition, and endurance training will get you long lean muscles like a swimmer that can go for days. Are you wanting to do something that's best for basketball? If that is the case, mostly endurance training is the way you want to go.

[OC_09]

I think I need all that but more on power and endurance. I want to improve my explosiveness inside the court and be stronger especially when I am against bigger point guards. Basketball season starts in about three months. Thanks in advance!

[Swaggin916]

I think I need all that but more on power and endurance. I want to improve my explosiveness inside the court and be stronger especially when I am against bigger point guards. Basketball season starts in about three months. Thanks in advance!

That's great. You have 3 months to kick your ass that is solid amount of time.

Ok heres an upper body program you can do.

Day 1: Chest and Back

Plyometric pushups: 2 X 6 - It's basically a pushup, but you push yourself up in the air as high as you can. If you have seen clap pushups, it's basically the same thing... you can clap if you want, cross your arms on your chest... whatever you want while you are up in the air. You won't feel too tired after this... you'll feel like you can do more. That's exactly how you want to feel

Dumbell Bench Press: 4 X 5 - do a couple warms up sets first working your way up to a weight you can only do 5 times. Once you get to that weight, do that weight for 4 sets. If you can only do 5 reps for the first set, that is fine, just get as much as you can for the next 3. So maybe you get 5 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps, then 2 reps on each respective set... that is perfectly fine. Never lower the weight... you are focusing on power and the heavier the weight the more power you will generate.

Barbell rows: 2 X 6 - get a weight that you can probably do 12-15 reps... Do it for 6 very explosive reps.

Single arm DB rows: 4 X 8 reps

Ok so that's those are the power sets, now we are going to do a bigtime super-set to help with endurance. What you do, is alternate between each exercise without any rest. So say you do a set of 25 of cable flys... you immediately go to the cable row machine and do 25 reps of that... and then go back to the flys... then back to the cable rows... and you do that for 4 sets. By the time you are finished with the last sets... you will probably only be getting 10 reps or so because you will be so burnt out (you will be doing the same weight for every set though).

So the exercises you will be doing for today's endurance super-set is Cable flys and cable row machine (just like in the example). Start out with a weight you can do about 25 times... and of like I said, your reps will decrease as you go throughout this monster set because you won't have much rest and start to get tired.

Day 2: Shoulders and traps

Standing Barbell Shoulder press: 2 X 6 - same thing you did with the Barbell rows... a weight you can do 12-15 times but the reps are done very explosively.

DB shoulder Press: 4 X 5 reps

Barbell Shrugs: 2 X 6 reps - (yup the explosive reps)

DB shrugs: 4 X 8 reps -

Ok and for your endurance set today... do lateral DB raises and and barbell shrugs.

Day 3: Biceps and triceps

Biceps and triceps are single joint muscles and shouldn't be worked out explosively... They will be hard on the tendons and it's just not an effective way to train them. So, with these muscles, you will notice the reps are higher for your first sets.

EZ bar curls: 3 X 12

DB curls: 3 X 12

Skullcrushers: 3 X 12

1 arm overhead DB (stands for dumbell by the way) raise: 3 X 12

Your endurance set will be the sitting bicep curl machine (every gym has one) and tricep pulldowns.


You week should look something like this

Monday: Chest and Back

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: Shoulders and Traps

Thursday: off

Friday: Biceps and Triceps


Ok that's your workout... If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[EliteBaller56]

You know you guys can find exercises with or without weights on http://www.myfit.ca/fitnessprograms/...tness_programs

I use it all the time. I got explosive shoulders and calfs from it

[OC_09]

Thanks a lot for that man! I'm really excited to start that program especially for the super-set. Haha! For the leg workout, I'm going to do the first program you gave me right? For how long would I do the these programs? And by the way, I'm not quite familiar with triple jump exercise. How is it done? Thanks again!!!

[Swaggin916]

No problem man.

Yes you are going to do the first program I gave you for legs. Do these programs for the next 2.5 months. A couple weeks before basketball starts go ahead and stop, and rest for those last 2 weeks. You can continue the upper body program if you want actually, but no more legs. Actually, after a month of doing the leg workout, go ahead and stop for 2 weeks (this is intense training and your legs will need rest after about a month). At that point (after the 2 weeks of rest) you will be 1.5 months into it. Start the leg program back up again for the last month and then stop after another month (at that point you will be 2.5 months into it). You should see some serious gains. Hopefully you stick with the program and you will have some good things to tell me. I expect you to gain anywhere from 3-6 inches on your vert and you will be quicker and faster than ever before... and on your upper body you should see some good results, but upper body doesn't respond as quickly as lower body so don't expect to be totally ripped or anything lol... but you can expect to be much stronger and better conditioned than before.

Triple jump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cZVTSPfbdc ... Don't lollygag through it like that guy did though. It's an explosive exercise.

[methd]

do you have to do the weightlifting right after the jumping for the leg workout??

i want to use the workout too but the gym i got to doesnt have a basketball court or some place where i can sprint