T Nation

Increasing Vertical

#1

I'm setting a new goal for myself to increase my vertical enough to dunk. I'm 32 6' tall and 198 lbs 16%bf. The last time I dunked I was 17 years old , same height and 155 lbs. I was very inconsistent on the dunks and could only do them on a good day. Right now when I extend my arm upward I reach about 8 ft. I can touch the rim jumping off both feet so my vertical is about 24''. I'll probably need another 6-8'' to dunk.

I'm going to put my plan here and see what you guys think. I'm going to alternate between a strength training leg work out and practicing jumping in the gym. I have a herniated disc which gives me trouble so you won't see back squats or deadlifts in this workout. All lifts will be done explosively.

Front Squat 4x6
One legged Leg press 4x6
Lunges 4x6
Calve raises 4x10
maybe hanging cleans if I can learn them properly.

The jumping exercises will be stuff like jumping up and touching the rim 10 times in a row. Doing layup drills where my hand touches the rim on the finger roll and similiar fun stuff to keep in interesting. I'm going to do this drills 2-3 times a week.

I've read that I should be doing the leg workout 2 a week. I'm thinking of alternating between the leg work and jump drills leaving a day of rest between them. That'd be about 3 work outs a week. Do you guys think it's overkill? I'll also be dropping about 15-20 lbs of fat starting in March. I'm currently trying to build muscle for now but in March I'll start cutting to look ripped for the summer. I'm hoping to dunk by June 1st (b-day).
I'll post the video of my dunking on a regulation rim then.

#2

I wouldn’t get caught up too much in the entire squats and lifting part, that will add strength, however you may find it could stiffen you up as well. I’m 19 and have a 36 inch vertical. I’ve played basketball and sports my entire life, and i can do a 360 dunk.

I did a jumping program that added 4 inches to my vertical last summer, i’ll put it up here and it may help you out a bit. As far as strength goes, leg press and squats are good, just be careful not to stiffen yourself up as i said before. The best exercise i found was biking. I rode 30 -miles a day, keep your revolutions per minute in the 80-85 range. It’ll help you lose weight and gain leg strength.

The exact reps and time of rest should be high reps, short breaks. Its really up to you to decide how much you should do, but keep increasing every week. Do this 2-3 times a week, and hopefully you’ll see similar results like I did.

-Box Jumps (these should be very quick and rapid, toe touches on top of the box and right back off again),
-wall sits (once you get to the point of 2 minute wall sits, try holding a 45 lb. plate above your head and gradually work your time back up)
-Wall touches (short, quick touches at first, then as you get tired take a step and jump as high as you can—After 2 weeks hold a medicine ball above your head and touch it to the wall w/ the same workout)
-Squat jumps–get as high off the ground as you can, these should be extremely explosive

You can use this workout as a cycle, spend say 30 seconds on one thing, then immediately switch to another. Do the cycle a few times and just keep adding more and more and more until you achieve your wanted results. Also, feel free to add in backboard touches, lunges, and calf raises.

Hope this helps you out a bit, let me know how it goes.

#3

I wouldn’t get caught up too much in the entire squats and lifting part, that will add strength, however you may find it could stiffen you up as well. I’m 19 and have a 36 inch vertical. I’ve played basketball and sports my entire life, and i can do a 360 dunk.

I did a jumping program that added 4 inches to my vertical last summer, i’ll put it up here and it may help you out a bit. As far as strength goes, leg press and squats are good, just be careful not to stiffen yourself up as i said before. The best exercise i found was biking. I rode 30 -miles a day, keep your revolutions per minute in the 80-85 range. It’ll help you lose weight and gain leg strength.

The exact reps and time of rest should be high reps, short breaks. Its really up to you to decide how much you should do, but keep increasing every week. Do this 2-3 times a week, and hopefully you’ll see similar results like I did.

-Box Jumps (these should be very quick and rapid, toe touches on top of the box and right back off again),
-wall sits (once you get to the point of 2 minute wall sits, try holding a 45 lb. plate above your head and gradually work your time back up)
-Wall touches (short, quick touches at first, then as you get tired take a step and jump as high as you can—After 2 weeks hold a medicine ball above your head and touch it to the wall w/ the same workout)
-Squat jumps–get as high off the ground as you can, these should be extremely explosive

You can use this workout as a cycle, spend say 30 seconds on one thing, then immediately switch to another. Do the cycle a few times and just keep adding more and more and more until you achieve your wanted results. Also, feel free to add in backboard touches, lunges, and calf raises.

Hope this helps you out a bit, let me know how it goes.

#4

Yeah dude… fuck squats just bike and do wall sits.

#5

Pdub, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? 360 dunks would be very impressive for anyone under 6’6. I appreciate the response yet what you wrote goes against alot of the research I’ve been doing. Not saying your wrong, I’m sure its worked for you but I’ll give you an example. I used to cycle pretty often doing anywhere between 20-40 miles a day , twice a week. I don’t think it’s ever helped my vertical. I’m under the impression I’ll need to develop explosive power in my quads, hamstrings, hips and calves to reach my goal. This is why alot of programs advocate the weight training. I got alot of the info from:

http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article//get_strong_get_fast_get_vertical

But the exercises you listed do look familiar so I’ll try those.

Edit: Never mind the height and weight question. It says 6’1 185 on your profile. I’d love to see a video of someone your height doing a 360 on a regulation rim. It’d be inspiring.

#6

[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
Yeah dude… fuck squats just bike and do wall sits.[/quote]

Yeah, my sarcasm detector just flew off the scale :slight_smile: . I’ve read some of your posts on another thread and they were very helpful. That entire thread was an excellent resource.

#7

You are about 40 pounds heavier and a few older than the last time you dunked. Drop some of the weight and get a stronger base. I have been able to dunk since I was a 5’10" 155 lb. high schooler. It has been toughter lately and I have had to up my strength to go along with pylos.

I am now 6’2 220 at 42 years old. I am trying to cut some weight and keep my leg strength up and increasing my plyo work.

#8

I would try wide stance, speed box squats. They will help explosiveness and strengthen your hips and glutes.

I hadn’t done any kind of athletic testing since I finished playing ball 2 years ago. I had been doing speed squats regularly and my vertical is up 6" from when I was actually doing things other than PLing.