Workout: Increasing Vertical – Part 1

Question: what exercises can increase my vertical and power.

This question was asked by Jill. Thank you for the question Jill. I am going to atempt to answer the first part of your question, because the question about power is not that specfic. I’ll explain what I mean at the end of the article.

First I will give you exercises that I do to increase my vertical, but some things work better for some individuals and other things for others (if you get what I mean).

My vertical program includes:

1. Box jumps
2. Weighted calf raises
3. Weighted squats
4. Stiff leg deadlifts
5. Plyometrics

1. Box Jumps

My team and I do a box jump program of anywhere from 3-5 sets. We first start with simple: jump and land, bends your knees. We do 1-2 sets of that and then we do more “complex”: jump, land, jump again – but make sure when you land you absorb the shock. A good way to know if you are absorbing enough is paying attention to how much noise you make when you land, there shouldn’t be much. We do 1-2 sets of that as well. From there we move onto what we call “push-offs”. It is when you have a partner, or place the box against the wall, sit on the box and you “push off” with one leg at a time, being sure to push up and out. You do 10 alternating legs, and then if you chose, 10 more.

2. Weighted Calf Raises

Well, I do these on the inverted leg press. Put the desired weight and place your toes on the bottom of the foot pad (don’t really know what it is called lol) and then extend your legs. I say put them on the bottom because, when doing calf raises, it is best to be able to go lower than the placement of your toes (it works the calf better). Like the little trick they say about doing them on the side of a curb, you can go lower than where your toes are balancing.

3. Weighted squats

Well, there is nothing special to this part of my exercise except the difference in weight placed on the bar. When you are “in shape” you should be able to squat your own weight (that means the bar – which is usually 45lbs. – plus whatever else weight on the ends to equal your weight). Here are some safety tips to keep in mind when squating.

Tips for Squatting Safely (source)

• Keep the weight over the ankles and keep the heels on the floor throughout the movement.
• Keep the knees in line with the toes.
• Try not to go lower than 90 degrees.
• Keep the knees behind the toes.
  Keep the shoulders back, a natural arch in the lower back, and the head and neck in a neutral position throughout the exercise.

4. Stiff leg deadlifts

Now, stiff leg dead lifts are important to due in this workout (my own personal workout) because it counteracts what happens when you do weighted squats. From an eBook from a volleyball website I learned about the muscles that are worked when performing the squat. When doing a weighted squat, those muscles are worked even more, and if you do not workout the opposing muscles, you may create an inbalance in muscle strengths that can lead to injury. Here are some tips for stiff leg deadlifts.

Preparation

1. Stand with a shoulder width or narrower stance on shallow platform with feet flat beneath bar.
2. Bend knees and bend over with lower back straight.
3. Grasp barbell with a shoulder width overhand or mixed grip, shoulder width or slightly wider.
4. Lift weight to standing position.

Execution

1. Lower bar to the top of the feet by bending hips.
2. Bend the knees slightly during the decent and keep waist straight, flexing only slightly at the bottom.
3. With knees bent, lift the bar by extending at hips until standing upright.
4. Pull shoulders back slightly if rounded. Extend knees at top if desired.
5. Repeat.

5. Plyometrics

This will be included on the next part of this article since it’s already sooooo long!