When attempting to increase vertical jump, it is important to be fully aware of how much of a strength foundation you have. A good strength foundation for optimum vertical jumping consists of strong legs as a whole, as well as your back and core muscles. Without solid strength here, it is unlikely that doing all the plyometrics in the world will help you gain more than a couple of inches. That is because plyometric exercises increase how quickly your leg muscles react and move. They do not, however, increase strength. No matter how fast you muscles can react, if they cannot exert a powerful enough force, you will never reach you vertical jumps maximum potential.
Now don't get us wrong, this does not mean we suggest not starting a vertical jump program right away, because believe us that is the best way to start training your vertical leap. It DOES mean that if you would consider yourself as having a weaker foundation of strength, you should spend as much effort on increasing strength as you do working on your vertical explosiveness. You may be asking, how do I increase strength in these areas? Well there is an easy and clear cut answer to this. Squats and deadlifts!!
Squats and deadlifts are to fundamental strength training exercises that will work on and build up all of the necessary gains in strength you will need in order to fully realize your vertical jumps full potential. They are both multi-joint strength training lifts in which, if done properly, you can move a lot of weight, and make a lot of strength gains quite quickly. However, one key part of performing these two lifts is that you execute them with precise form. You do NOT want to cheat in these lifts. Not only will good form prevent injury, it will also allow you to fully maximize the lift and see the most gains. There is a reason that it is easier to move more weight while cheating form, it is because you are not stimulating all of the correct muscles, and more often than not are not using a full range of motion in your lift. Don't worry about how much you are lifting, because that will go up quickly and easily, worry about whether or not you are using correct form. This is the key to success with these two lifts, that and hard work and determination to reach your goals.
So if you consider yourself to be lacking in a strength foundation, mainly in the legs, back and core, then you may want to consider adding squats and deadlifts to your normal routine. By working on these two lifts, and building up a strong strength base, you will be able to fully reap the benefits of you explosiveness training that you are doing. Remember that vertical explosiveness is just one part of the equation, and that you need the necessary strength and power base in order to exert high levels of force, and fly vertically like you never thought possible.