Jump Quixote

The last little while, I think I may have been training a bit too intensely, and/or with too much volume. I finished a heavy leg day on a Friday afternoon, and I couldn't do my jump workout on the following Tuesday morning. As a result I have dialed back my workout. I have dropped the total number of jumps to the 50 rep range. I have also changed up the workouts so I am doing a jump/leg workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and my Tuesday and Thursday workouts are upper body. My new jump workouts start with a warm up of squats one day and deadlifts the other. Then I typically go to rack pulls (explosive). I started doing these guys with more sets using lower reps. I'll do a warm up in the 10 rep range, then start adding weight with each 2-4 rep set after that. I then go for the bulk of my 50 jumps in sets of 4-8 depth jumps, and I finish with a set of box jumps to get the last of the 50 jumps. When I'm feeling pretty good I throw in some explosive intensity kettlebell...

While looking through journal articles to put together my strategy to increase my vertical leap, I came across two particular articles that serve as a major portion of my scientific rationale for my training programming. One is a study. The other is a literature review. Looking over what is there, I think the literature review gives a good encapsulation of what we know. The study is entitled, The maximal and submaximal vertical jump: implications for strength and conditioning.   Jumping involves three main muscle groups. If you ever hear the term "triple extension", it is referring to the action of the big three leg joints, the ankle, the knee and the hip. At the ankle there is extension ( plantar flexion ), where you rise up on your toes. At the knee there is extension, where you straighten the leg. At the hip there is extension where the legs extend down. Going from a seated posture on a chair to standing up and rising on the toes is triple extension. Jumping is explosive...

When it comes to the types of exercise I am using, I think of them as falling under one of three categories. Each category has its own purpose and reasoning. These categories are Base Strength, Explosive Strength, and what I am going to call Reactive Strength. Base Strength exercises should be pretty self explanatory. They are exercises selected and performed to build your foundational strength. I’m fine with these being performed slowly, because I am trying to build a basic foundation of muscular strength, bone density, and healthy joint function through a full range of motion. Explosive Strength are exercises that are performed explosively. Many people will think of exercises like the Power Clean , or Hang Clean . I also would categorize several exercises some people might call Plyometrics , like the Box Jump . Reactive Strength is how I like to think of “true” Plyometrics. Plyometrics is used to describe movements with what is termed the Stretch Shortening Cycle (...