Double your vertical leap!? Sounds crazy. It is crazy!
What you can do athletically with twice as much vertical jump is nothing short of staggering. You may be wondering if it is even possible to increase your vertical jump that much, or even if it is, what makes me the guy to tell you about it. Well to get there, let me first start with telling you where it all began. I was right where you are, on the other side of this question. I was looking for any edge I could find to help make me a better athlete and basketball player. I knew I was willing to put in the work, but what type of work? What actually worked? Did anything?
Pretty much anyone I knew who was a freak athlete had always been that way. They had been out jumping, out running, and out lifting the rest of us since we started sports. They weren’t doing anything different than I was, yet they were simply always more athletic. I couldn’t accept that though, so like you I started learning and putting in the work. It had to be something you could earn. Weeks turned to months, months turned to years, all the while the drive to learn more and put in the work never left.
Fast forward to current day and my goodness things changed, not only did I catch up to all of those athletic kids but I jumped right past them and started competing with the highest jumpers in the world. Coach Chase here, and I am going to share with you how I actually doubled my vertical leap. (All the way up to 48” 🤯)
You will hear a lot of comments at your local gym or online from people who all have the “key” or plan to help you jump higher. I’ll give them some credit, lots of things will work. Can you simply jump or try to dunk every day and jump higher? Yes… only the gains will stop and you’ll likely get hurt and not even be able to jump without pain before long. Can you stretch and do calf raises and jump higher? Yes, maybe… only the gains will stop and you’ll likely get hurt and not even be able to jump without pain before long. Can you use special shoes or magic insoles and jump higher… far from likely, other than they just get you jumping a little more than usual in which case you can see the jumping everyday suggestion from above. How about a smarter plan, can you lift weights and play ball to jump higher? Absolutely… only the gains will stop and you’ll likely get hurt and not even be able to jump without pain before long.
See a trend? You have all of these suggestions, all of which work a little but eventually end with you in pain. Where does that leave us on our path to mind shattering double your vertical leap results. It leaves us needing a new and better plan. Having done it myself I can tell you first hand. The key lies in a 360 degree approach to training. There are gains to be had from all different aspects of athleticism. You can get some results from mobility, or strength, or stability, or body composition, or plyometrics, and so many more. The real and lasting results come from a plan that incorporates and utilizes all of them to work together. Adding each little gain up together over the course of your training in a way that not only lasts, but will leave you healthier and more resilient than before rather than leaving you broken down and in pain like any of the methods on their own.
You can absolutely double your vertical leap, it’s been done and will be done again. Why not by you?
I’ll list here some of the major keys and points to address in your training. When you are ready to make the commitment to better training and better results, let us at Project Pure Athlete help make sure you are using a full 360 degree approach.
Consistency
Your athleticism is constantly evolving, for better or for worse. Staying consistent with your efforts for the long haul is the only way to reach your best potential results.
Drive
It can’t be just about the outcomes. You need to be driven to get in there and put in the necessary work each day. The choice to get better has to be willingly made each and every day. Only the driven and strong willed among us will have the drive to make that decision day after day.
Strength
It is never a weakness - don’t settle on being a little bit stronger. Strength is the foundation on which we will build your athleticism. Keep working. Keep pushing. Keep getting stronger.
Weight and Numbers
They alone don’t mean strength - how you move, the quality and intent of the movement is everything. The strength we are chasing isn’t a higher powerlifting total, it is a mastery and full control of your movements at any speed. Treat the little bodyweight movements with the same respect as your squat PR. Be able to move and be stable in every direction, jump training doesn’t have to look like jumping to be important.
Movement
Movement is everything - a stronger body that is so wound up and tight that it can’t touch its toes or move without pain isn’t going to get you to your goals. Being able to access full ranges of motion pain free and under control will help keep your training and competing without pain. Don’t chase strength to the point that it takes away from movement and causes pain.
Sleep
Sleep is gains - our body is making the changes we are training to get while we sleep. All kinds of vital actions and activities are happening while we are fast asleep. Quality sleep will lead to better hormones and better results. Treat getting quality sleep like a part of your training. It simply has to be some for maximizing your results. Even a nap can boost your results.
Hydration
Hydrate and then hydrate some more - dehydration can hamper performance and increase the likelihood of injury. Stay on top of your hydration. This is a daily battle that starts when you wake up. If you are starting when you are working out, it’s too late. Hydrate well and recover better. Recover better and get better results. It’s that simple.
Food
Food is fuel - this one is super simple, yet often neglected. Invest in quality food to give your body the best chance at recovery and building a healthy powerful body for you to compete with. Quality doesn’t have to be super expensive. Spend tome learning about nutrition and how to make better choices. Invest in learning how to cook a few simple dishes on your own so there’s less reason to eat poor quality food. Poor food choices take away from your recovery and can lead to more pain and inflammation in the body.
Technique
Technique is king for jumping - if it were as simple as get stronger and look athletic, we would have way more people jumping 45+”. What is often missing is the ability to add speed to an approach and still jump higher. It’s extremely common for an athlete to get stronger and jump a little higher, but their lack of technique will hold them back from massive potential progress. Treat jumping technique like you would anything else training wise. Treat it with respect and give it its due time. Be consistent with it and trust that it will continue to build on itself and help you get better and better. Better technique alone can approach 50% of someone’s long term results when we are talking about doubling your vertical jump. If you are jumping only 1-2” higher with an approach than you do off a stand still, it is entirely possible that with consistency you can get another 10” out of your jump with technique work.
Mindset
Mindset is mastery- go into your work with your mind in the right place to make progress. Be in the moment, focusing on each and every rep like it is the only rep that will matter. Focus on the movement like doing it perfectly, will be the difference between you getting results and not. If you do that over and over, you will absolutely get amazing results. A program is just a list. It’s not magic. The intent and mindset you bring to the program are what make it successful. You are the secret ingredient. Even crappy programs can be successful with a great mindset attached to them. Imagine a great mindset paired with great training.
There is more, but this will be an amazing start. For those of you how have gotten this far, you have what it takes. It’s just a matter of making the commitment and taking action. You have already proven that you are willing to learn, willing to commit your time. All you have to do is make that same choice over and over each and every day. We are Project Pure Athlete, we are here to help you not only reach your goals, but to push past them. Join us, and let’s start your journey to doubling your vertical leap.
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