October 8, 2026

Reflecting On Vertical Leap Increases

I had an estimated 44 Inch [112cm] Running Vert.

That was a while ago, and I don't train vert anymore. In recent years, I've concentrated on getting better at Computer Science. Coding exercises replaced vertical training exercises. Computer Science transforms the way you think.

A phone clip filmed from floor level in a gym, under ceiling lights, beside a cable machine. The author, in an orange T-shirt and grey shorts, walks away from the camera, turns into a run-up and jumps, reaching one arm high towards the ceiling at the top of the jump before landing. Near the end, another gym-goer walks through the foreground.

The body is a system. A system that can get optimised.

Engaging in vertical jump optimisation initiatives sparked my interest in systematic body optimisation.

And, if I had to do it again, these are the things I would do:

Warmup

X-band walks

Glutes and core tight. Legs straight to the side for two. 18 to 22 reps for 3 to 6 sets.

Light face pulls or band pull aparts

Kinetic chain set tight and straight. 18 to 22 reps for 3 to 6 sets.

Light sled pushes & pulls

Alternating pushes & pulls. A single set is a sled push for 25m and a sled pull for 25m. And that gets done for 3 to 6 sets.

Primary

Trapbar deadlifts

Done at medium-high intensity. 12 reps for 3 to 6 sets. I was going too heavy on the squats and deadlifts. The central nervous system was getting too amped up. At one point I was highbar squatting double bodyweight for 8 to 10 reps. Straight bar deadlifting a little bit more than 3x bodyweight for a single rep.

Sled pushes/pulls

Done at medium-high intensity. Alternating pushes & pulls. A single set is a sled push for 25m and a sled pull for 25m. for 3 to 6 sets.

Romanian deadlifts

Done at medium intensity for 12 to 18 reps. 3 to 6 sets. with the descent and ascent being controlled.

Optional: Kettlebell swings

Done at medium intensity for 12 to 18 reps for 3 sets.

Load that clears before the next session, and load that stacksTwo training plans over the same 44 sessions it sits 4 residues above its baseline and has not come back down once. That is a nervous system getting too amped up.

Avoid

I found the glute-ham raise to be a dangerous exercise. I was doing glute-ham raises while holding light weights on a Glute Ham Raise machine. And my hamstring started cramping up real bad one time.

Force

I'd retain medium to high intensity force enhancing exercises like depth jump and depth drops. The ideal height to drop from being a little bit higher than the max running vert height. Khamzat Chimaev is a UFC fighter who seems to have good force absorption. After one fight that he won, he climbed the UFC ring, which is pretty high, stood on top standing up straight, raised his arms in the air, and then did a reverse step depth drop and absorbed the landing with minimal knee bend. Signifies elite eccentric strength and tendon stiffness as the UFC ring is pretty high.

One drop, stopped by a deep knee bend or by a minimal oneA depth drop from a 120 cm box, a little higher than a 112 cm max running vert. The body steps off and falls; beads at equal steps of time spread further apart as it speeds up, and it meets the floor at about 4.9 metres per second. Each bead on the right is one bodyweight of force, the mean force the floor must push back with to stop that fall. Stopping it with a deep knee bend, sinking 60 cm, takes 3 bodyweights; stopping it with a minimal knee bend, sinking 20 cm, takes 7. In both, the first bodyweight only holds the body up and the rest absorbs the fall. The less the knees bend, the more force the legs and tendons must absorb, which is why a landing with minimal knee bend signals elite eccentric strength and tendon stiffness.

What's fascinating is the 2 legged running vertical leap has a strong correlation with punching strength as both express an entity's capacity to create explosive force.1

References

  1. Strength and Power Qualities Are Highly Associated With Punching Impact in Elite Amateur Boxers (Loturco et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016)