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Yes, the description page is finally up! This section is divided into weight exercises, plyometric exercises, and weights/plyo exercises (found in the beginner's program). Weight/Plyo Exercises Squats/Jumps - Do squats with a weight that you can't do one more rep than suggested. HEAVY weight is the key. After your set immediately go and do squat jumps for the recommended reps. Calf Raises/Jumps - Again do calf raises - heavy - then get up and do mini-hops for the reps. (Stand with legs straight, and exploding up onto your tippy toes and into the air, using only the calves). Lunges - Set of lunges, set of lunge jumps. (Start in lunge position, explode up into the air as high as possible. Repeat with other leg - 1 rep.) Weight Exercises Squats - The king of vertical jumping weight exercises. If you have access to dumbells, use them instead (as long as you can get enough weight in your hands). Bend down almost to a 90 degree angle and push back up quickly. NEVER GO TO 90 DEGREES OR PAST! You'll injure yourself. Calf Raises - You'll be surprised how much weight you can do, especially if you're heavy. Seated Calf Raises work another muscle group, but should NOT be substituted if possible. They may be added for 1 set. 2 feet at a time. Lunges - A difficult exercise, however THE MOST IMPORTANT for increasing one leg vertical, but still very important for 2 foot jumpers as well. Leg Presses - Be careful here. Your knees should NEVER touch your stomach. If you go this far down you may injure yourself, and you're not working the muscle group that much anyways. A very important yet overlooked weight exercise needed to maximize your vertical. Presses - Holding heavy dumbell in each hand. Hold your arms down. Lift them straight up and over your head, copying the movement of your arms in jumping. This is important. Bend your arms slightly, as you do that when you are jumping. You should be able to swing your arms enough that you almost take your body off the ground. Shrugs - Use a heavy bar. Hold it with arms straight, then roll your shoulders up, hold, then roll around. Be careful. If your neck is cracking, do not roll your shoulders. Hip Flexors - Using ankle weights, raise your leg straight up, keeping your leg straight. Raise it straight in front of you the first rep, then straight out to the side, and everything in between. You will feel a burn that you wouldn't expect from ankle weights. Reverse situps (Hyperextensions) - Lay face down on a bench, with your upper body hanging over the edge. Your head should touch the ground. Hook your feet onto something on the bench, like the bar or something. Pull your upper body up until it's straight with the rest of your body. You do a sort of reverse situp. You'll feel it in the lower back. Hold a weight in your hands against your chest for more weight. Plyometrics Squat Jumps - Bend down between sitting and standing position and explode up as high as possible. Immediately upon landing jump up again as high as you can. This is the best plyometric exercise for building strength. Time on ground must be minimal. You can use your arms a little, but remember, this is a leg exercise. No Arm Jumps - like squat jumps, with arms crossed. Chair Jumps - use a chair that when you put your foot on it, your leg is parallel to ground. Pushing off that foot only, blast into the air and land with other foot on the chair. Repeat motion - 1 rep. Slow Squats - No weight, squat slowly down, taking 20 seconds to lower your body. Then explode up into the air, jumping as high as possible. Laundry Jumps - Use a tall breakaway object, 12-24" high. Jump as high as poss. back and forth sideways over the object, exploding off the ground each time. Reactive Jumps - in squat position, ready to explode. Partner claps hands, you jump into the air as high as possible. Explode. Line Jumps - jump back and forth sideways line to line moving forward as you go. Add variation with any other lines you prefer. Depth Jumps - Stand on 24-36" box. Step off, and IMMEDIATELY upon hitting the ground, explode straight up as high as possible. Box Jumps - same as Depth Jumps, but jump to next box. Side to Side Box Jumps - figure it out. Box Jump 180/360s - Duh. Stair Exercises - Stand at bottom of stairs. Jump up every stair on 1 or 2 legs (whichever program calls for). Also try jumping up stairs every 2nd stair for advanced balancers. Try 3 stairs, but only with 2 legs. Tuck Jumps - Jump high into the air, pull your knees up to your chest. Toe Touches - best exercise for improving hangtime! Jump into the air and bring your toes up with legs straight as high as possible. Touch your toes. This is hard. Burnouts/Mini-hops - like the Air Alert exercise. Good for blasting all those slow twitch fibres into your calves into fast-twitch ones. Raise as high as possible on your tippy toes. Then jump 1-2 inches in the air, bouncing up and down on your tippy toes. Time on ground is minimal. Keep your legs straight! This is a calf exercise only. Calf Hops - Standing with legs straight, explode onto your tippy toes, sending yourself into the air a little. Explode. Do not bend your legs, it's a calf exercise only. Land, and repeat, not bouncing back up, but landing and then repeating the exercise.
If I missed an exercise let me know. ADVICE: The most important aspect in your training is to do every rep with proper form! This works the muscle groups the exact way they should be worked to jump higher. A hint is to concentrate on the part of your workout you hate to do. I used to HATE lunges. Then I came upon this advice and started to concentrate on it. I realized I had been using bad form on the lunges. I went on to increase my one leg vertical just by doing the lunges. I still hate them, but now I realize how important they are. AND REMEMBER: The recommended reps are suggested starting reps only. NEVER KEEP DOING THE SAME AMOUNT OF REPS. Progression is the key. Increase the reps in the plyos by 5 or more every week. The more, the better. Keep track of your workouts so you know.
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