Why is my vertical jump not improving?

Vertical jump is really simple. It's Strength X Speed = Power. Power = a bigger vertical jump. So it follows that to increase your vertical jump you need to increase either your strength or your speed, or both. However, many athletes overlook the single best thing they can do: go and practice maximum effort jumping. More strength work in the absence of speed via jumping and plyometric drills just results in a stronger, but often slower athlete, not a more powerful one. Continuing to play ball, get stronger, and work on jumping may actually decrease performance and increase injury risk.

Now would be a perfect time to analyze your vertical jump technique. At least 90% of non-professional or non-elite athletes have serious biomechanical issues. If an athlete cannot bend at the ankle, their body needs to rotate around the hips to gain velocity. There is no drive; it is all throw. Legs just finish the movement. Small adjustments in your technique can lead to significant improvements.

If you're an athlete who trains a lot, you'll always be fatigued to some degree. Fatigue masks your true vertical jumping ability. If I could wave a magic wand to rid you of fatigue, you would instantly jump higher. Sleep is of paramount value to jump skill and ability. Same thing goes for sleep. If you're not recovering properly, then you're at risk of overreaching. You're not going to make vertical jump gains if you're doing everything right for a few months before going on vacation for a week and letting yourself go. Prioritizing recovery and injury prevention is essential to sustain progress.

Why is my vertical jump not improving?

Chances are you're doing one or more of the things that will cause this stagnated progress. Unfortunately many athletes make the mistake of thinking that strength work will decrease their vertical jump. Sadly, in having this view they overlook the single best thing they can do to increase their vertical jump, and that is to go and practice jumping. What I am saying is that like anything you have too much of a good thing, and when it comes to plyometrics, some is great, but lots is, well, stupid really. Like all forms of training there are diminishing returns with plyometrics. If you're someone who is doing a lot of jumping 3+ times a week, as well as lifting weights 2-3 or more times a week, you're probably overreaching. The first is that you are never giving your body a chance to recover from the workouts. The second is that all the sports you are playing actually have a de-training effect on your vertical jump training. Continuing to play ball, get stronger, and work on jumping actually decreases the athletes performance and increases injury risk.

The other aspect of recovery that many athletes underestimate is the value of a good nights sleep. If your diet sucks, you aren't giving your body the nutrition it needs to recover properly. The final thing is consistency. And when was the last time you meaningfully increased your squat? To increase your strength, you need to progressively overload by lifting heavier weights. If you're not actively focusing on increasing your lifts in the gym, you won't increase your strength. At least 90% of non-professional or non-elite athletes have serious biomechanical issues with their vertical jump. This is holding them back and they don't even know it. If an athlete has an ankle that does not function well it very well be the limiting factor to increasing vertical jump height. As mentioned in my Ankle Rocker article, if an athlete cannot bend at the ankle, their body needs to rotate around the hips to gain velocity to throw the body vertically. Both athletes and many more lack the ability to jump with their legs. The hip muscles in front is a hindrance. Turning the hip is a bottleneck. Core keeps still steadies the spine. A solid middle helps power flow. Power leaks out shows a weak core. Weakness in the middle of the body is weakness.

Extra weight gives nonforceproducing mass. Nonforceproducing mass cuts wattage. Adiposity cuts how well you do on a jump test. Obesity makes smaller how strong you are, hinders endurance, impairs balance, cuts coordination, and lowers mobility of motion. Insufficient eccentric strength stops taking in force. Weak eccentric strength cuts how well the stretchshortening cycle works. This weakens thrust. Brain drain is a decrease in muscle use. Brain tiredness has symptoms like slow response times effort, higher perceived effort, worse steadiness effort, and clumsiness effort. Sunshine vitamin recommendation is 600 IU daily. Magnesium recommendation is 310 to 320 mg daily. And then try tell me your vertical jump still isn't increasing!

My vertical jump stagnated for months. My training is rigorous: four workouts per week. I did jumps, but my jump height didn't alter. I asked an exercise science expert. My belly control doesn't have strength, which is why I lose power during takeoff. My elastic strength doesn't have soaking up power, soaking up power occurs during Squat. So I cut how often I train to twice per week. I used belly and back moves and put very heavy slow lowering. My vertical jump went up four inches in a month and a half. Overload is an obstacle. Technique is necessary.