WARNING!! The principle and practices of this system are extreme and should be undertaken with extreme caution. A spotter is advised when using heavy resistance. The author takes no responsibility for any injury that the user may incur.

The 10 aspects of a jump training program:

During my training, research, and education as a personal trainer I have concluded that there are 10 aspects involved in a vertical jump. Your improvement is dependent upon your capabilities in these 10 aspects, and therefore the flight training program is based on their improvement. When each of these qualities is increased there is a synergistic affect; which means that they all work together toward one goal: explosion. The following is intended as a brief introduction to help you understand what you need to accomplish.

1. Strength: Your ability to jump is directly related to your ability to create force (AKA your strength). We are working on developing you jumping muscle fibers (AKA Fast Twitch Fibers).

2. Neurological Recruitment: Your ability to jump is directly related to how your nervous system recruits muscle fibers in order to create force.

3. Quickness: You may be strong but how fast can you generate it. QUICKNESS + STRENGTH = EXPLOSION. Some people have great amounts of strength, yet they do not have the quickness to create the explosion.

4. Fuel: Are you providing your body with the nutrients that you need in order to 1. Build muscle and 2. Use that muscle? It is not necessary to adopt a complicated diet. Vitamins and supplements are not neccessary only if you are not obtaining nutrients for you regular diet (”www.mypramid.gov” provides you with basic dietary guidelines). Overdosing on protein does not increase muscle mass.

Creatine could be of assistance to provide more intense workouts and performances (Your body uses a chemical called ATP to contract muscles. Creatine is naturally created by the body to to be used for high intensity activities. The theory behind a creatine supplement is to provide you with more of the fuel needed for high intensity workouts; which means more efficient training and performance.) It is not required that you try this supplement. You are advised to consult your doctor before making any dietary alterations.

5. Balance: A lack of balance jeopardizes your ability to harness your strength and quickness. Efficient balance promotes an efficient use of strength and quickness. Better balance results in more graceful jumping ability.

6. Form: Many different muscles are used to promote upward motion ie. quads, hamstrings, calves, abdominal, arms etc. Forward momentum may also be converted into upward motion. Proper form synergizes all muscles and momentum to create a rush of upward propulsion. To demonstrate, try to jump without using your arms or without thrusting your knee in the air.

7. Stability: Each muscle employs stabilizer muscles that hold other joints and muscles in place to facilitate the intended action. If there is a lack of stability other parts of the body may absorb, or hinder the force generate for jumping.

8. Flexibility: Flexibility is defined as the Range of Motion about a joint. Sufficient flexibility allows your limbs the leverage and momentum they need to create maximum force. Can you imagine how the tin man would jump? Flexibility acts as a “lubricant” for our jumping movements.

9. Body Composition: Excess weight hinders upward motion. Do not attempt to lose weight excessively fast. When you starve yourself to lose weight, your body automatically lowers it’s metabolism as a security measure. Which means that you will be susceptible to gaining all that weight back and more. The best way to lose weight is to have a diet centered around the food guide pyramid, and to be conscient of the energy balance principle.

The energy balance principle means that if you expend more calories than you intake you will lose weight; if you intake more calories than you expend you will gain weight; and if you intake and expend the same amount of calories, your weight will remain static. Eating well and doing the workout will result in a healthier body composition. If you are a little over weight think of it this way: while you are training that extra weight will serve to increase your muscle size, and when the fat goes away your muscles will be all the more stronger for having carried it. If you are extremely overweight you may want to postpone the workout until you have reached an appropriate body composition for these workouts; consult your medical professional.

10. Hereditary Factors: Each individual inherits a certain amount of slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fiber. Slow twitch fibers cannot yet be converted to fast twitch muscle fibers. What we can do is increase the fiber size and strength of the muscles that we have been given. Women’s muscle just as efficient as men’s muscles; however, men are generally endowed with more amounts of muscle fiber than women.