3 EXERCISES TO INCREASE YOUR VERTICAL (Data from 1000 athletes + Four 50 Inch Jumpers)

Summary

This video is a vertical-jump training Q&A, not a report on a particular sports match. The subtitles provide no event timeline or timestamps.

Three training staples

Isaiah Rivera recommends three exercises for athletes seeking to jump higher:

1. Power cleans: Rivera says his data from thousands of athletes shows that power cleans have the strongest correlation with jumping ability. He emphasizes practicing the catch position—with elbows up and the weight resting on the fingertips—and suggests rehearsing it with a light bar or broomstick.
2. Deep barbell back squats: He recommends building strength in a deep knee bend, where he says the quads work hard during a jump.
3. Plyometrics: He suggests doing explosive jumps or sprints at the start of each workout, before cleans and squats.

Rivera says that training these exercises three times a week, alongside regular jump sessions, for a year without injury could put someone ahead of nearly all of the population in jumping ability.

Dunking and jump-training volume

Rivera recalls landing his first dunk at 16 years and about seven or eight months. He describes dunking—especially in front of a crowd or during a game—as uniquely exhilarating, and says that many people can achieve a dunk with enough time and dedication.

He estimates that, as a teenager, he took about 35,000 maximum-effort approach jumps before his first dunk and roughly 70,000 before reaching a vertical jump in the low 40-inch range. He says younger athletes may tolerate frequent jumping better, while people in their 20s and 30s may need to limit themselves to roughly one or two sessions a week and progress more patiently.

Returning to jumping after tendon pain

Rivera outlines a gradual return to jumping:

1. Stop movements that cause pain.
2. Build capacity with isometrics and heavy, slow squats.
3. Introduce pain-free drop landings, gradually increasing the box height.
4. Progress through standing jumps, jumps with a step, and eventually full-effort jumps before returning to sport.

He notes that athletes with persistent pain should approach training carefully.

Presenter and sources mentioned

• Presenter: Isaiah Rivera
• Sources or resources: Rivera’s athlete-performance calculator, THPstrength coaching, dunk camp, and Olympic weightlifters’ technique videos on YouTube.