Great video, I’ve actually been considering working on my vertical jump. However it wouldn’t have really any application to me since I don’t play sports or anything, but it would be cool regardless.
None of this has application to anybody imo. Strength, muscle, athleticism, etc. It's all *for you*. The world demands none of it. That's why I advocate the hybrid athlete concept these days. I want to maximize health, longevity, and capability for as many years as possible. Vertical jump training is just plain fun though!
Alec, have you seen Isaiah Rivera's recent vertical jump world record? Have you looked at his training for increasing vertical, and have you seen his jumping technique lessons??
Hello, great video. I was looking for your channel as I forgot your channel name, and found it through two key words: front squats and 40 yard dash! Lol. I wanted to ask you about what barbell you use for clean and jerk, Im lifting 135 pounds and Im about 180 pounds Any recommendations? Thank you!
There are special barbells for Olympic weightlifting that range from very expensive to medium expensive. I have a rogue bar and an old pendlay bar that are both about $300-400, this is aboutthe cheapest you can get a decent olympic lifting bar for. The most important point about these bars is that the sleeves spin seamlessly so that you are able to execute the lifts smoothly. Just do some research on Olympic weightlifting bars and you'll begin to learn about some of these differences and why they are important! Now sub to my channel so you don't forget about it again!
@@EnkiriEliteThank you so much for the advice on the barbell. Which of the rogue bars are you using? Do you feel its important that it has a "great whip" even for lower weight ranges like 135pound cleans? I've subscribed years and years ago to your channel, and you're quite the inspiration maaan! Keep it up!
The whip of the bar is unimportant at lower weights. But the smooth rotation of the sleeves is always an important factor for these lifts regardless of how much weight is on the bar.
Hey Alec, with regards to unloaded jumps, should one be doing them nearly year round but do a less stressful version, ie standing vertical jumps or max approach jumps instead of Depth jumps, or should they also be reserved for peaking?
If long term vert progression is the goal then *some form* of unloaded jumping should nearly always be in the program, yes. There are ways to regulate the intensity, as you alluded to, but the bread and butter should really be an appropriate dosage of whatever your primary jump style that you are hoping to improve. i.e. if you are a bilateral jumper then you should almost always be doing at least a moderate number of reps per week of max approach bilateral vertical jumps. -when you need to recover you need deload. -when you want to peak you incorporate high intensity plyometrics -when you want to slowly build you do al the stuff I talk about in this video along with your normal jump training
Too non-specific once you get to a certain level. I ran my lifetime best sprints MPH in 2021 by emphasizing top speed sprint work, and I couldn't jump nearly as high as I could during the time period of the jump footage I used for this video. And vice versa as well. When focusing on vert i can't run as fast. They are obviously complementary concepts, but you can't maximize both at the same time.
I would not be surprised about distanfe jumping and sprinting both being maximized at the same time, especially track style unilateral distance jumps. But even bilateral broad jumping variations wouldnt be surprise me that much either. However, I find it surprising that a bilateral vertical jump and top end sprint speed would have *that much* correlation for somebody at that high of a level. Im not sure how reliable i would consider outcome in terms of widespread applicability, but then again, I don't know everything (or even very much at all!) .@@kapoioBCS
I was looking for this man! Couple of questions, isn't it recommended that the explosive moments be performed first? So Oly lifts or Depth Jumps prior to Squats? Since 1) the strength based movement will fatigue out the fibers and thus reduce explosiveness and 2) The explosive movements would prove to be a nice warm up for max force type exercises And can this be programmed in for a Full body 3x per week routine? If leg hypertrophy isn't necessarily your goal but leg performance (jumping/bounding mostly) is? Thanks.
I can't remember the specifics of how i laid out this program, but I don't find explosive movements before strength movements to be a hard and fast rule. If the strength work is high force and low reps then it can potentiate the explosive work rather than detract from it. Now of its high rep and causes a lot of muscular fatigue then, yes, it will make the explosive work less good. But I do strength work first all the time these days, and set it up thst way for a lot of my clients and it works well. At the end of the day, the individual should determine which method they find worms better for them and do it that way!
It depends. Like the other poster noted, it will be more applicable to acceleration based training and almost wholly inapplicable to top speed training. That said, even regarding the former (acceleration training vs vertical jump) several of the movement families should be different. At the end of the day, they are both power based activities but one is seeking to maximize vertical potential and the other is seeking to maximize horizontal potential. If the training isn't at least somewhat different then something is wrong.
Yes, however, they are a poor exercise for vertical jump specific training as the force vectors are horizontal. More similar to a broad jump or sprint acceleration and would be better served for Specificity in regards to those applications. However, in terms of a generalized super productive speed-strength to strength-speed exercise, they are fantastic.
yes, as long as you don't go crazy with the loading. just remember, whatever degree of hip displacement you are aiming for should dictate the loading on any form of loaded jumps.
Wherever you want them to. I don't find calf strength to be the limiting factor in jumping performance. Achilles reactivity is a different story however!
@@EnkiriElite call me weird, but I have watched the original video dozens of times! I would like to have your opinion wrt to back squats; I am super adductor dominant (always getting sore adductors with back squats, barely any quads) and I'm wondering whether the more quad-focused front squats would be a better strength exercise for my vertical jump. Thanks man!!
Not sure if sarcasm or serious. You can improve.your standing vertical somewhat, but you can improve your running (or maximal) vertical jump dramatically with proper training and patience (the part everyone forgets). For example, see Isaiah Rivera. Went from 20 something or another to low 50s and is one of the best jumpers in the world now. Rippetoe is great for what he does, but he has never done a vertical jump a day in his life nor has he coached realt athletes or Olympic lifters. He should refrain from commentary on those topics.
Eh, more like you don't use it, you lose it. Definitely don't have the same bounce as the younger me, but can still dunk at 44 at 6 feet. All I do is (a) still play ball, (b) do heavy front squats (like Alec suggests) and (c) don't become a fatass. Looking forward to trying (and learning) power cleans and some sprinting to see what happens.
@@davidzubkis yeah, that's true about using or losing. Messed my left knee up in mid 80's playing sports and got it x-rayed and they told me l would be good in two weeks, have never walked or ran the same after that. At 62 l can squat 4 plates comfortably for 5 reps, but jumping or running causes a lot of issues. Good luck with your training
Well, the obvious answer would be carrying more weight will reduce your jumping ability. But in a more practical sense, if you lose so much weight, that you are getting significantly (10%) weaker, it is no longer worth it to focus on weight lose, but rather on performance increase. I would assume 15-20% bodyfat for a man will be the upper limit when you are optimizing for jump height.
I think high bar back squats and front squats load the knees too much for them to be optimal for vertical jump. On top of that, they increase the likelihood of ingraining improper jump mechanics. I would say Bulgarian split squats or low bar back squats that replicate foot stance and width as well as joint angle of a vertical jump would be ideal to develop base strength. Olympic lifts are amazing but people need to be taught how to perform the lifts from an experienced coach to get any real benefit out of them since they're so technical. I am not a fan of removing the technical aspects of Olympic lifts as you demonstrated because you sacrifice too much bar velocity.
The vertical jump is a knee biased movement, there's not really any way around that. Many of the best vertical jumpers in the world jump with a degree of knee bias that baffles even me. A knee biased squat stick works the hips just as much, but it strengthens the knee extensors more than a hip biased squat, hence my recommendation. I don't believe that a unilateral movement alone will ever develop significant base strength as compared to a bilateral one, especially for a bilateral vertical jumper. The unilateral movements, in my experience, become more productive when used secondary to the bilateral ones, but not so much vice versa. The jump mechanics argument is a fallacy. The whole concept of sport Specificity is largely a fallacy, and there is absolutely no way in hell that squatting is going to interfere with jumping mechanics. The movements are so far removed from each other that they cannot possibly be "confused" by the nervous system. If anything, training something with GREATER Specificity to the desired task is more likely to result in motor pattern disruption, not the other way around. I disagree on your take regarding the Olympic lifts (on both fronts mentioned honestly), but I'll just leave it at that as i have already detailed my thoughts on those lifts on multiple occasions here on this channel.
@@EnkiriElite The vertical jump is absolutely not knee biased. Just like the squat, It is a hip complex movement first and foremost. If you take a look at people performing vertical jump from the side view, the hip angle is more closed than the knee. You initiate any form of jump or squat from the hips first. A knee biased squat doesn't work the hips as much because the hips are a lot stronger but the opposite is true. Not sure why you think unilateral movements wouldn't provide the same benefits. They work the same primary movers and tax your stability more which will aid in injury prevention. Again, Not sure what led you to form your opinion on sport specific training. A vertical jump is pretty much a Hip width toes forward half squat with a ballistic component. If you don't have the right squat mechanics, you don't have the right vertical mechanics
@@a9e5t15 This is so bad I don’t know where to start. There is absolutely forward knee travel in a vertical jump and the idea of jumping purely with hip flexion and extension is utter buffoonery. Also fixating on specificity of joint mechanics shows a fundamental misunderstanding of strength and conditioning. It’s about increasing general lower body strength, power and elasticity. If you want to get as specific as possible just jump all the time. A squat is too slow to be specific to a jump but that does not mean it is not a good supplement. Lastly, the fact you vilified HB and front squats yet are a fan of full Olympic lifts is a contradiction.
Funny how NONE of what he did in this video was a vertical jump. A vertical jump is done from rest with no running start. What he’s doing is running & jumping NOT a vertical jump. Also you can’t train your vertical, it’s a genetic trait, you can only maybe improve it by 15-20% in the best case scenario. So if you have a 10 inch vertical, at the very most after years of training properly, the most you’ll be able to improve it is by 2 inches.
Vertical jump means a jump that is vertical, what you're describing is a standing vertical jump. Vertical jump can be improved, you improve your technique, using elastic strength, initial strength, rate of force development and if you're overweight becoming leaner would also help. I don't know if this comment is a joke since it might be referencing a vid he did about Rippetoe
@@arashtajik8047 No a vertical jump means jumping vertically from a dead stop, stop twisting terms. There’s no technique to a vertical jump, you just stand & jump up. There’s no such thing as “elastic strength” & getting leaner doesn’t have anything to do with your genetic ability for explosive power.
@@davidzubkis Because it’s not a vertical jump, we need a standardized test otherwise a squat where you go 5 inches above parallel is just as valid as a parallel squat. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
@@janoycresva276 I kind of get your point, but if someone can jump 40 inches off the ground with a running start how is that not a valid measurement of explosiveness? A couple of steps run up isn't cheating--its just exploiting the stretch-shortening cycle which Alec explains.
Great video, I’ve actually been considering working on my vertical jump. However it wouldn’t have really any application to me since I don’t play sports or anything, but it would be cool regardless.
None of this has application to anybody imo. Strength, muscle, athleticism, etc. It's all *for you*. The world demands none of it.
That's why I advocate the hybrid athlete concept these days. I want to maximize health, longevity, and capability for as many years as possible.
Vertical jump training is just plain fun though!
Coming from the channel that actually shows you how to train like an athlete instead of saying "Train like an athlete".
That's the idea!
7:28 that looks fast and nimble. You rock!! Thx for the nice breakdown of velocity curve with examples :)
awesome video
Thanks! I hope you find the information useful in the future.
I remember when that old video of you jumping on your backyard hoop came out.
Alec, have you seen Isaiah Rivera's recent vertical jump world record? Have you looked at his training for increasing vertical, and have you seen his jumping technique lessons??
Great video. This is comprehensive jump training.
These are pretty much all the tools I have used over the years! Went from low 30s to low 40s at my best.
Hello, great video. I was looking for your channel as I forgot your channel name, and found it through two key words: front squats and 40 yard dash! Lol.
I wanted to ask you about what barbell you use for clean and jerk, Im lifting 135 pounds and Im about 180 pounds
Any recommendations?
Thank you!
There are special barbells for Olympic weightlifting that range from very expensive to medium expensive. I have a rogue bar and an old pendlay bar that are both about $300-400, this is aboutthe cheapest you can get a decent olympic lifting bar for. The most important point about these bars is that the sleeves spin seamlessly so that you are able to execute the lifts smoothly. Just do some research on Olympic weightlifting bars and you'll begin to learn about some of these differences and why they are important!
Now sub to my channel so you don't forget about it again!
@@EnkiriEliteThank you so much for the advice on the barbell. Which of the rogue bars are you using? Do you feel its important that it has a "great whip" even for lower weight ranges like 135pound cleans?
I've subscribed years and years ago to your channel, and you're quite the inspiration maaan! Keep it up!
The whip of the bar is unimportant at lower weights. But the smooth rotation of the sleeves is always an important factor for these lifts regardless of how much weight is on the bar.
@@EnkiriElite much appreciated!
Hey Alec, with regards to unloaded jumps, should one be doing them nearly year round but do a less stressful version, ie standing vertical jumps or max approach jumps instead of Depth jumps, or should they also be reserved for peaking?
If long term vert progression is the goal then *some form* of unloaded jumping should nearly always be in the program, yes. There are ways to regulate the intensity, as you alluded to, but the bread and butter should really be an appropriate dosage of whatever your primary jump style that you are hoping to improve.
i.e. if you are a bilateral jumper then you should almost always be doing at least a moderate number of reps per week of max approach bilateral vertical jumps.
-when you need to recover you need deload.
-when you want to peak you incorporate high intensity plyometrics
-when you want to slowly build you do al the stuff I talk about in this video along with your normal jump training
What happens if you do everything except the section 2 exercises? Aka oly lifts?
I would definitely include sprinting on this list tbh
Too non-specific once you get to a certain level. I ran my lifetime best sprints MPH in 2021 by emphasizing top speed sprint work, and I couldn't jump nearly as high as I could during the time period of the jump footage I used for this video.
And vice versa as well. When focusing on vert i can't run as fast.
They are obviously complementary concepts, but you can't maximize both at the same time.
@@EnkiriElite in my experience when I reached 10.6s at 100m my vertical and distance jumping was also at its best
I would not be surprised about distanfe jumping and sprinting both being maximized at the same time, especially track style unilateral distance jumps. But even bilateral broad jumping variations wouldnt be surprise me that much either.
However, I find it surprising that a bilateral vertical jump and top end sprint speed would have *that much* correlation for somebody at that high of a level. Im not sure how reliable i would consider outcome in terms of widespread applicability, but then again, I don't know everything (or even very much at all!)
.@@kapoioBCS
I was looking for this man! Couple of questions, isn't it recommended that the explosive moments be performed first? So Oly lifts or Depth Jumps prior to Squats?
Since
1) the strength based movement will fatigue out the fibers and thus reduce explosiveness and
2) The explosive movements would prove to be a nice warm up for max force type exercises
And can this be programmed in for a Full body 3x per week routine? If leg hypertrophy isn't necessarily your goal but leg performance (jumping/bounding mostly) is?
Thanks.
I can't remember the specifics of how i laid out this program, but I don't find explosive movements before strength movements to be a hard and fast rule. If the strength work is high force and low reps then it can potentiate the explosive work rather than detract from it.
Now of its high rep and causes a lot of muscular fatigue then, yes, it will make the explosive work less good.
But I do strength work first all the time these days, and set it up thst way for a lot of my clients and it works well. At the end of the day, the individual should determine which method they find worms better for them and do it that way!
@@EnkiriElite Ok, thanks man!
how similar do you think this list is for sprinting?
I believe for acceleration it would be similar but for top end speed it would be different
I kind of want to make both those videos as well actually!@@speedinturtle00
It depends. Like the other poster noted, it will be more applicable to acceleration based training and almost wholly inapplicable to top speed training.
That said, even regarding the former (acceleration training vs vertical jump) several of the movement families should be different.
At the end of the day, they are both power based activities but one is seeking to maximize vertical potential and the other is seeking to maximize horizontal potential. If the training isn't at least somewhat different then something is wrong.
@@EnkiriElite thanks for the response
Do you think heavy kettlebell swings can also help, as strength-speed?
Yes. He has talked about them before as an alternative to Olympic lifts. Heavy kettles and high pulls
it is stregth-power
@@zapp2123 It really can be either depending on the load you're using I think
This is accurate @harleyzeth
Yes, however, they are a poor exercise for vertical jump specific training as the force vectors are horizontal. More similar to a broad jump or sprint acceleration and would be better served for Specificity in regards to those applications.
However, in terms of a generalized super productive speed-strength to strength-speed exercise, they are fantastic.
i can only do hip dominant box squats
Can the loaded box jump be substituted with jump squats?
yes, as long as you don't go crazy with the loading. just remember, whatever degree of hip displacement you are aiming for should dictate the loading on any form of loaded jumps.
How often do you change up accessory movements?
With this particular style of training, probably roughly every 8-12 weeks.
Where do calf raises fit in to this??
Wherever you want them to. I don't find calf strength to be the limiting factor in jumping performance.
Achilles reactivity is a different story however!
how to program these
Have you ever watched any content from PJF?
Not too much, but a couple videos over the years. Why do you ask?
Re upload?
Re-made entirely. Improved audio and video quality. Same concept but better made video (in my opinion, of course).
@@EnkiriElite call me weird, but I have watched the original video dozens of times! I would like to have your opinion wrt to back squats; I am super adductor dominant (always getting sore adductors with back squats, barely any quads) and I'm wondering whether the more quad-focused front squats would be a better strength exercise for my vertical jump.
Thanks man!!
@nicoskal85 I have watched many times too. And also thought it was a re-upload also lol
Mark Rippetoe said you can't improve your vertical jump 🥸
Mark needs to practice what he preaches.
Not sure if sarcasm or serious.
You can improve.your standing vertical somewhat, but you can improve your running (or maximal) vertical jump dramatically with proper training and patience (the part everyone forgets).
For example, see Isaiah Rivera. Went from 20 something or another to low 50s and is one of the best jumpers in the world now.
Rippetoe is great for what he does, but he has never done a vertical jump a day in his life nor has he coached realt athletes or Olympic lifters. He should refrain from commentary on those topics.
@@EnkiriElite Nor has he actually developed experience in those aspects of training himself.
1th
sup dude
I used to be able to jump, then l got old
that's how it be
Then I took an arrow to the knee
Eh, more like you don't use it, you lose it. Definitely don't have the same bounce as the younger me, but can still dunk at 44 at 6 feet. All I do is (a) still play ball, (b) do heavy front squats (like Alec suggests) and (c) don't become a fatass. Looking forward to trying (and learning) power cleans and some sprinting to see what happens.
@@davidzubkis yeah, that's true about using or losing. Messed my left knee up in mid 80's playing sports and got it x-rayed and they told me l would be good in two weeks, have never walked or ran the same after that. At 62 l can squat 4 plates comfortably for 5 reps, but jumping or running causes a lot of issues. Good luck with your training
What bmi do I need to max out my vertical
If I’m 38 bmi will I jump less high than if I’m 24 bmi
Well, the obvious answer would be carrying more weight will reduce your jumping ability.
But in a more practical sense, if you lose so much weight, that you are getting significantly (10%) weaker, it is no longer worth it to focus on weight lose, but rather on performance increase.
I would assume 15-20% bodyfat for a man will be the upper limit when you are optimizing for jump height.
1rd
I think high bar back squats and front squats load the knees too much for them to be optimal for vertical jump. On top of that, they increase the likelihood of ingraining improper jump mechanics. I would say Bulgarian split squats or low bar back squats that replicate foot stance and width as well as joint angle of a vertical jump would be ideal to develop base strength. Olympic lifts are amazing but people need to be taught how to perform the lifts from an experienced coach to get any real benefit out of them since they're so technical. I am not a fan of removing the technical aspects of Olympic lifts as you demonstrated because you sacrifice too much bar velocity.
Nah hang cleans or power cleans are more than enough, thats why all football programs include them. They generate power like no other life.
@@StolenPixelplease reread the entire thing
The vertical jump is a knee biased movement, there's not really any way around that. Many of the best vertical jumpers in the world jump with a degree of knee bias that baffles even me. A knee biased squat stick works the hips just as much, but it strengthens the knee extensors more than a hip biased squat, hence my recommendation.
I don't believe that a unilateral movement alone will ever develop significant base strength as compared to a bilateral one, especially for a bilateral vertical jumper. The unilateral movements, in my experience, become more productive when used secondary to the bilateral ones, but not so much vice versa.
The jump mechanics argument is a fallacy. The whole concept of sport Specificity is largely a fallacy, and there is absolutely no way in hell that squatting is going to interfere with jumping mechanics. The movements are so far removed from each other that they cannot possibly be "confused" by the nervous system. If anything, training something with GREATER Specificity to the desired task is more likely to result in motor pattern disruption, not the other way around.
I disagree on your take regarding the Olympic lifts (on both fronts mentioned honestly), but I'll just leave it at that as i have already detailed my thoughts on those lifts on multiple occasions here on this channel.
@@EnkiriElite The vertical jump is absolutely not knee biased. Just like the squat, It is a hip complex movement first and foremost. If you take a look at people performing vertical jump from the side view, the hip angle is more closed than the knee. You initiate any form of jump or squat from the hips first. A knee biased squat doesn't work the hips as much because the hips are a lot stronger but the opposite is true. Not sure why you think unilateral movements wouldn't provide the same benefits. They work the same primary movers and tax your stability more which will aid in injury prevention. Again, Not sure what led you to form your opinion on sport specific training. A vertical jump is pretty much a Hip width toes forward half squat with a ballistic component. If you don't have the right squat mechanics, you don't have the right vertical mechanics
@@a9e5t15 This is so bad I don’t know where to start. There is absolutely forward knee travel in a vertical jump and the idea of jumping purely with hip flexion and extension is utter buffoonery. Also fixating on specificity of joint mechanics shows a fundamental misunderstanding of strength and conditioning. It’s about increasing general lower body strength, power and elasticity. If you want to get as specific as possible just jump all the time. A squat is too slow to be specific to a jump but that does not mean it is not a good supplement. Lastly, the fact you vilified HB and front squats yet are a fan of full Olympic lifts is a contradiction.
Funny how NONE of what he did in this video was a vertical jump. A vertical jump is done from rest with no running start. What he’s doing is running & jumping NOT a vertical jump. Also you can’t train your vertical, it’s a genetic trait, you can only maybe improve it by 15-20% in the best case scenario. So if you have a 10 inch vertical, at the very most after years of training properly, the most you’ll be able to improve it is by 2 inches.
Vertical jump means a jump that is vertical, what you're describing is a standing vertical jump. Vertical jump can be improved, you improve your technique, using elastic strength, initial strength, rate of force development and if you're overweight becoming leaner would also help. I don't know if this comment is a joke since it might be referencing a vid he did about Rippetoe
What's wrong with getting a running start? The ability to accelerate and deacelerate is pretty valid stuff.
@@arashtajik8047 No a vertical jump means jumping vertically from a dead stop, stop twisting terms. There’s no technique to a vertical jump, you just stand & jump up. There’s no such thing as “elastic strength” & getting leaner doesn’t have anything to do with your genetic ability for explosive power.
@@davidzubkis Because it’s not a vertical jump, we need a standardized test otherwise a squat where you go 5 inches above parallel is just as valid as a parallel squat. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
@@janoycresva276 I kind of get your point, but if someone can jump 40 inches off the ground with a running start how is that not a valid measurement of explosiveness? A couple of steps run up isn't cheating--its just exploiting the stretch-shortening cycle which Alec explains.