The workout above is the broad jump workout that I did on 2/11/2020.
These broad jumps preceded my lower body lifts on that day. The sets and reps for the broad jump part of the workout were:
1) Broad Jump 3 x 3 (with full recoveries in between reps).
Why Jump?
Jumping is essential for athletes who are looking to build lower body power.
Low rep, max effort vertical and horizontal jumping (aka broad jumping) are both used in my training programs for athletes.
These jumps, when used correctly, will increase the explosive ability of an athlete.
The fake hustle, high rep “vertical jump workouts” I’ve seen over my career are a complete disgrace in terms of making athletes more powerful.
We Need Power
Some athletes have more natural power than others, but all athletes should dedicate parts of their training to increasing the potential of their power.
Certain positions in sports like basketball, football, and track (60m/100m/200m) all require power.
Without power a shorter basketball player would not be able to dunk.
Without power a running back could not hit the hole with any type of drive or burst.
And without power a 100-meter sprinter will struggle mightily to get out of the blocks.
Strength Vs. Power
I’ve seen strong athletes who could deadlift 405-600lbs, bench 275-350lbs, and squat 350-405lbs and still not be able to dunk or explode out of the blocks.
I’ve seen powerful athletes who could hammer dunk at 5’9 while weighing 135lbs soaking wet. But these same athletes could not squat 225lbs to the bucket if their life depended on it.
In 2016, I was the strong athlete whose weight room numbers did not translate to sprinting.
I did walking lunges with 315lbs for 6 reps in September 2015 before my ulnar nerve transposition surgery. In December 2015, I then hip thrusted 669.5lbs.
I was moving real weight while only weighing 172lbs at that time.
I looked like a lean stallion but I performed like a foal. At the first summer track meet of that season (June 2016) I ran a horrendous 12.64 and 25.03 in the 100m/200m dashes.
Even though I by far had the strongest glutes at the meet, but having super glutes did not help me at all on the track early in that season.
I got smoked during the first month of that season as my power tank was only a 1/4 full.
The strongest sprinter is not necessarily the fastest sprinter. You have to specifically train for power and speed in order to truly possess respectable power and speed.
I was not training specifically for speed or power in 2015 or in the first half of 2016. My training program was all about strength and muscle growth.
To Be Your Best You Need Elements Of Both
So being strong and being powerful is great.
But being strong with limited power or powerful with limited strength is not where you want to be as an athlete. You will be leaving too much meet on the bone in terms of your performance.
How you train will determine what you get. If you are an athlete you need to have a program that has elements of strength and power training during the year.
A sample program that blends strength and power training for an off-season athlete could look like this:
Sprint Dominant Program
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Short Sprints and Upper Body Lifting
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: Vertical Jumping and Lower Body Lifting
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Upper Body Lifting
Saturday: Short Sprinting
Jump Dominant Program
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Vertical Jumping and Lower Body Lifting
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: Short Sprinting and Upper Body Lifting
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Horizontal Jumping and Lower Body Lifting
Saturday: Upper Body Lifting
Conclusion
You might not be able to attain the elite jumping power of Michael Jordan.
You might not be able to attain the supreme strength of Mark Henry.
But what you can do is increase your strength and power with hard work, consistency, and patience.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer
Fitman
