JUMP LIKE JORDAN: (HOW TO SKYROCKET YOUR EXPLOSIVE POWER)

By Shane Dowd, CES, CMP

Jumping Higher, Made Simple:

Want to jump higher? Have aspirations of Jumping Like Jordan?

Then listen up because I’m about to share with you the secret to human flight...

Becoming explosive and jumping higher is a simple process once you understand a few basic concepts.

The most fundamental concept is the SAID principle.

SAID stands for “Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.”

This means that the body will adapt specifically to the stimulus that you impose on it. For example, if you lift heavy weights slowly (like a bodybuilder), you will get better at lifting heavy weights slowly.

Seems simple, right? It is…don’t fight it.

On the other hand, if you lift weights explosively AND regularly bounce around doing various sprinting and jumping activities, you will get better at sprinting and jumping and being explosive! Duh!

For example, imagine a streetballer who has been playing basketball their whole life and can dunk even though they are 5’8’’).

Even without ever touching a weight, they can throw down windmill dunks with ease.

Of course, they might become an ever BETTER athlete by incorporating strength training, just like Michael Jordan did in the summer of 1990 to take his game to the next level.

But, getting back to our “specific adaptation principle”…

The SAID principle teaches us that – if your goal happens to be to jump higher – then you better train your legs to produce more force more rapidly on a continual and ongoing basis. That way, your body will ADAPT to SPECIFICALLY be more explosive and thus jump higher.

In other words…

To Jump Higher, You Have to Get More Powerful

Here’s the exact formula for getting powerful.

Power = Strength x Speed

This definition clues us into what we need to be training if we want to jump through the roof. How do you develop strength? How do you develop speed? How do you ensure you are working the right muscles to develop force in the right direction (vertical force production?)

Essentially, anytime you are moving a load in the vertical direction, either slowly, with heavy weights, or quickly (your own body in a vertical jump), you are training your body to become more efficient in that movement pattern.

In real-world terms, this means you have to build your strength with exercises such as the Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches, etc.), squats, deadlifts, and lunge variations, all with heavier weights over time.

JUST LIKE MICHAEL JORDAN DID.

But, beyond the weight room, you also need to increase your speed of vertical force reduction (hip, knee, and ankle bending as you prepare to jump), as well as production (the extension of all of these joints as you push the ground away and take flight.)

Depending on whether you are a “springy” athlete or a strong athlete, you will want to work a little more on the other quality (strength or speed), depending on your weakness.)

Simply stated, you need to jump (plyometrics), lift weights, and get better at each over time.

What this might look like in an actual beginner workout is detailed below:

Warmup: jogging, skipping, shuffling, and low-level plyometrics

Then follow that up with some accelerations and sprinting.

Plyometrics:

Exercise 1: Single Leg box jump 3x5 per leg,
Exercise 2: Altitude Landings 3x5
Exercise 3: Vertical Leap 3x5

Strength Training:

Exercise 2: Hang Snatch, 3x3, Hang Clean 3x3
Exercise 3: Front Squat 4x6
Exercise 4: Walking Lunge 3x8
Exercise 5: Calf Raise - 3x10 (notice calf work is a minimal part of the program. The calves only contribute maybe 10% to a vertical leap.)

Of course, this routine assumes you have a little training background and technical proficiency on all exercises (which is unfortunately not a good assumption in 90% of cases.)

Most people have never been taught how to properly jump and land, perform the Olympic lifts or even squat and lunge with good technique. This is why part of me cringes when I give generic recommendations for workout plans without first evaluating the athlete.

With that said, it is helpful to have a general overview of what it takes to jump like Jordan (becoming more powerful) AND having a basic starting template.

WASHED-UP MEATHEAD CASE STUDY: How a nearly 40-year-old, gym-junky, can still grab the rim without training for it.

Yup, that's me in the above gif.

Far from "Jordan-like" jumping abilities, BUT I’m also NOT training to improve my vertical leap.

Yet, nearing age 40, I can still grab the rim. Not too shabby!

Why? Because I train for general athletic power.

I lift heavy weights (as fast as possible), sprint, and jump (as fast as feels good because I’m not competing against anyone, I’m doing it for health.)

There’s nothing impressive about my “accomplishment” except that I can also do the splits in every direction and have good cardiovascular endurance.

In other words: I’m well-rounded. A little bit fast. A little bit explosive. A little bit flexible. And pretty darn athletic for nearly 40.

If you wanted to emphasize your speed, power, and explosiveness for sport – it would be easy for you to surprise my meager accomplishments and move into the realm of Jordan-like jumping abilities.

It’s all about priorities.

So…summing up:

If you have any doubts about performing any of the above exercises I mentioned (the plyometrics, squats, Olympic lifts, etc.), seek a professional’s help.

It will be the best investment you ever make in seeing the progress you desire and preventing injuries that can set you back weeks and predispose you to numerous other injuries.

When you find that you’ve increased your strength and gotten your plyometrics bouncier, you will find yourself well on your way to being that freak who seems to have pogo sticks for legs.

Of course, there are many other aspects to jumping high and being a great athlete (coordination, body composition, etc.). Still, I hope this article gives you a video of the basic ingredients required to jump like Jordan.

Now…go train hard, and I’ll see you in the next video!