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Remember the LeBron James dunk on Damon Jones? What about Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace? No one would doubt that LeBron has lost his mind. His head is on the edge almost every time he dives! In fact, it has a vertical of 41 inches.
But the most interesting fact about the 23-year-old superstar is that although he is one of the strongest players in the league, he still manages to have such a sick vertical jump.
You ask where is the problem? Let’s take a look at LeBron’s body. The guy has the build of a bodybuilder. The problem is that muscles are heavy, muscles are even heavier than fat. By the way, that’s why you first gain weight when you start running to lose some fat. Build muscle first and burn fat only later. So please be patient in that case. Going back to Lebron, in fact, at 240 pounds he’s actually too heavy for his height (6’8 ”)! The average weight of an NBA player at this height is 222 pounds. But he still does, he still has a vertical that is well above that of an average NBA player (= 32 inches)! So how does he do it?
“Ask me to play. I’ll play.
Ask me to shoot. I will shoot.
Ask me to come in. I will pass.
Ask me to steal, block, sacrifice, lead, dominate. Anything.
But it is not what you ask of me.
It’s what I ask of myself. “
– Lebron James
This quote gives you a hint about a point that is absolutely essential: dedication. LeBron’s work ethic is unmatched (for example, his body fat rate is 6.7%!). Only Kobe Bryant’s training is on the same level. Let’s take a look at an excerpt from LeBron’s workout:
It is a workout 5 days a week, one hour a day (does not include running or playing basketball, = 3 additional hours a day). Each day consists of different exercises, only certain exercises such as jumping rope are performed each time.
Day 1 (Monday):
– Jump rope (400 jumps)
– DynaDisc Foot Speed Exercise To develop core, balance and foot speed all at once, stand on the discs while holding a medicine ball. Do a quick little jump so that your left foot is on the floor and your right foot is on the disk your left foot was on. Return to your original position, then do a quick jump in the opposite direction, so that your right foot is on the ground. (20 movements in each direction)
– DynaDisc Dribbling Exercise Stand on one foot on a puck holding a basketball with both hands at chest level. (Be glad it’s not a medicine ball). Bounce and catch it while maintaining balance. (20 dribbles on each foot)
– Stability dribbling drill Return to the medicine ball and the Core board. (20 dribbles)
– Instability push-ups (right) Do 2 sets of 20 with your hands holding the Core board.
– Figure eight seated (15 in each direction)
– Leg curl (2 sets of 10)
– Seated Leg Extension (2 sets of 10)
– Hip abduction (2 sets of 10)
– Smith rack squat The safest squat (2 sets of 10)
– Front raise (2 sets of 10)
– Lateral raise (2 sets of 10)
– Rear deltoid raise (2 sets of 10)
– Single Arm Dumbbell Row (2 sets of 10)
– Elliptical machine (25 minutes)
As you may have heard, LeBron also wears belts to increase strength. Here are some examples:
– Parachute slides:
Using two small parachutes tied to a belt, LeBron sprints using wind resistance to improve power and strength.
– Bungees:
Two bungee cords attached to a lifting belt. It resisted sprints back and forth, then resisted slips, also jumps.
As for the vertical jump exercises, the interesting thing is that in addition to the usual exercises like jumping rope and raising the calf, LeBron uses some very effective special exercises.
Here is an example:
– Split squat jumps:
Starting position: Begin in a semi-lunge position with one foot in front of the other. Movement: jump as high as you can, alternating the positions of your feet in the air. (If you start this exercise with your left foot forward, your left foot should be on the back of your right foot when completing one rep.) Use your hands for balance, land softly and under control.
2 sets, 10 seconds (later 15, 20, 25 seconds)
For the rest of the exercises and crucial things to know about vertical jump (why often what you “don’t” do is more important than what you “do”), take a look at: