How to Improve Vertical Jump, Speed and Explosive Power

Train to improve your vertical jump height and long jump distance because it won't happen by chance. Specific power training will get the job done.  You could improve your chances of getting a scholarship to play at the college level. The fastest runners in the 40-yard dash typically have the highest vertical jumps and longest broad jumps. Both jumps show how much explosive leg power you have.

Vertical Jump

Here are 4 things you can do now to improve your vertical jump:

1. Improve your total body strength, especially leg strength. Overall strength training (including core training) is needed to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems and improve flexibility.

A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

Powerful athletic movements initiate with or transfer through your core area. Translation: a weak core will severely hurt your power output and vertical jump.

2. Explosive weight lifting will improve your power and set you apart from your athletic competitors. Make your total body more explosive.

Just as you can do medicine ball exercises, plyometric exercises and light dumbbell exercises explosively, you can also lift heavier weights explosively.

Lifting weights explosively is an advanced form of exercise and shouldn't be done by beginners or youngsters. Your body should have the needed stabilization and strength before beginning explosive lifts.

It doesn't help you improve as an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Research has proven that only lifting heavy weights at a moderate or slow pace will not improve your explosive power.

3. Do plyometrics, upper and lower body. Plyometric exercises help you to increase leg power and arm power. Exercises like squat jumps, medicine ball throws and side-to-side hops are good examples.

A high level of eccentric strength is needed during the landing phase of a plyometric jump. Inadequate strength will result in a slow rate of stretch and less activation of the stretch reflex. The amortization phase, the time on the ground, is the most important part of a plyometric exercise.

It represents the time between the landing and the take off and is critical for power development. If the amortization phase is too long, the stretch reflex is lost and there is no plyometric effect. The take off is the concentric contraction that follows the landing. During this phase the stored elastic energy is used to increase jump height and explosive power.

Plyometrics represent high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. While plyometrics can improve your speed, power, and performance, they also place you at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises.

It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises.Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered by you. Exercises should also be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose you to injury.

4. Do deep knee bends and deep knee bend jumps at the end of your workout. Deep knee bends will strengthen your knees and ligaments supporting them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump.

For deep knee bends, make sure that your back is straight when you are bending your knees. Squat down as low as possible and rise back in a slow motion. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 repetitions. You can add dumbbells to this exercise as you progress.

Deep knee bend jumps are like deep knee bends. When you reach the lowest point of the squat, leap vertically and explosively as high as you can. When you land, squat back down and jump again. Do 10-15 repetitions.

A vertical jump of:

30-32 inches - Good

33-36 inches - Very Good

37-40 inches - Excellent

Above 40 inches - Elite

Long Jump

The standing long jump (or broad jump) should be a regular part of your sports training workouts.



Use a soft athletic surface such as grass, astro-play or rubber floor to perform the long jump.

1. Stand behind a marked line.

2. Swing your arms back and bend your knees to propel your take-off.

3. Use a 2-footed take-off and landing. Jump as far as you can and land without falling backwards.

Your jump is measured from the take-off line to the nearest point of contact which is the back of the heels.

A long jump of:

7 ft. to 8 ft. - Good

8.5 ft. to 10 ft. - Very Good

10.5 ft. to 11 ft. - Excellent

Above 11 ft. - Elite

Include standing long jumps and vertical jump exercises in your training to improve your leg power and running speed.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Top 10 Athlete's Strength and Power Training Techniques

As an athlete, you need certain strength and power training techniques to help you succeed in your sport. It is not enough to train hard. You must train smart also.

One important thing to remember about sports fitness training is that it is not a strongman contest!  Too many times there is too much emphasis placed on "maxing out" with the weights.

To continually get stronger without an increase in speed, power and athleticism will do you no good. An overall athletic training framework for you to follow is.....

1. Train your body in all 3 planes of motion. Many athletic movements happen in the transverse plane (rotations, turning, twisting, etc.) and frontal plane (side-to-side, lateral).

Machine-based training concentrates on the sagittal plane (up- down, forward-backward movements). Do miminal athletic training on machines because they limit your natural movement patterns.

2. Train on your feet because most athletic movements in games are done standing and running.

3. Stabilize and strengthen the core first and limbs (arms and legs) later.

This can be done using exercises like bridges, planks, bird dogs, cobras, supermans and back extensions. You would later progress to full speed core exercises on your feet like medicine ball chops, medicine ball slams, 2-arm and 1-arm medicine ball throws and medicine ball rotational throws.

4. The same holds true for body strength exercises. Start with dumbbells to stabilize your joints.Dumbbells also don't allow you to cheat when 1 arm or 1 leg is weaker than the other.

Also, bodyweight exercises work well to stabilize your body strength. You can get to the heavier weights once your joints and muscles are stabilized and balanced. If you can't do bodyweight squats correctly then you won't do heavyweight squats correctly.

5. Continuing with strength exercises....concentrate on compound (multi-joint) exercises like squats of all types, lunges of all types, bench press, rows, step ups, and deadlifts.

One-legged squats, step ups and lunges improve your running strength and power because about 80% of running is done on one leg. Do less single-joint exercises like bicep curls, calf raises and leg extensions because you get little benefit.

6. And, improve your muscular balance. Quadriceps shouldn't be significantly stronger than hamstrings. Likewise, the frontside of your upper body should have muscular balance with the backside of your upper body.

7. Train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force).

Eccentric contractions are able to produce the most tension development followed by isometric contractions and lastly, concentric contractions. If eccentric contractions are able to produce the greatest tension development, then more time should be devoted during training for eccentric contractions to reduce the risk of injuries such as knee ACL tears.

Also, strong eccentric contractions are critical for athletes to produce maximal power since all force production (concentric) must be preceded by force reduction (eccentric).

8. Improve your flexibility and correct postural problems in the early stages of your training to avoid injuries when you get to more intense training.

9. Progress to more intense exercises like plyometrics, speed training and full-speed sport specific exercises after you have stabilized and strengthened your core, joints and overall muscle structure.

At this stage, you will train athletic movements in your sport (transfer-of-training effect) and not just muscles.YOU MUST TRAIN FAST AND EXPLOSIVE TO GET FASTER AND MORE EXPLOSIVE.

10. Rate-of-force production (how fast your muscles produce force) and dynamic balance are the two best physical predictors of athletic success. Your training program (strength, power, speed, flexibility, etc.) should be pointed toward improving these 2 physical traits.

Train harder, smarter and safely!

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Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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How Athlete's Bodyweight Strength Training Powers Explosion

Build your athletic body with strength and power training to explode your body past your opponent. Stay stronger and more explosive for longer periods during your games and you will win most of them!



Overall body strength training is a given.  Core strength training is where many athletes fall short.  Since all movement begins with the core, you can't take shortcuts or your power and explosion will suffer.  Your power will experience a shortage before it reaches your arms and legs.

See 5 -Part Core Training Series

The goal of the core training program is for you to develop optimal levels of functional strength and dynamic stabilization.

You can start at the highest level of core stabilization training you can control. As with other areas of integrated training, a core training program should be:

1. progressive, systematic, sport-specific and challenging,

2. multi-planar (sagittal, frontal, transverse), multi-dimensional (stabilization, strength, power) and variable (sets, repetitions, intensity, etc.),

3. varied with contraction velocities (different speeds), and

4. varied with modes of training (airex pads, foam, floor, disc, etc.) and body positions.

Core training exercise progressions should follow these paths:

1. Slow to Fast
2. Known to Unknown
3. Stable to Controlled to Dynamic
4. Low Force to High Force
5. Correct Execution to Increased Intensity

One of the first signs of fatigue that I look for in an athlete is whether he or she can remain strong and upright towards the end of the game. If your core is weak, you will start to "bend over" and lose power and explosiveness when you run. Next, your arms will start to "flail" instead of pumping powerfully to fuel your running.

Adequate core strength helps your speed endurance, which is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state. The best players and teams have excellent overall body strength, core strength and speed endurance (and they win the most games).

Interval training for speed endurance is different than regular speed training. Speed endurance sprint intervals last from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Also, recovery time is reduced to prevent complete recovery by the athlete. Here is an example of speed endurance training:

Shuttles - Place cones at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 yards. You would sprint to the 5 yard cone and sprint back to the start. You would then sprint to the 10 yard cone and sprint back to the start. The same would be done at the 15, 20 and 30 yard cones. That is one set. Rest for 2 minutes between sets. Do 5-6 sets.

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Weak Core Strength Hinders Speed, Power and Performance

Powerful athletic movements initiate with or transfer through your core area.


For example, the best way to increase arm speed is that power needs to be transferred from your legs through your core to your throwing arm.

This will increase your arm speed and throwing miles-per-hour (MPH). Many athletes have strong, powerful legs but weak cores......that will give you a power shortage!

If you have trouble maintaining your running speed during the late stages of a game, you probably have a "core weakness" problem. Core strength is important to help you remain strong and upright when you are running, especially when you are tired.

Adequate core strength helps your speed endurance, which is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state.The best players and teams have excellent overall body strength, core strength and speed endurance (and they win the most games).

Advanced core exercises should be performed in a standing position because most athletic movements are made on your feet. When you do standing core exercises, you engage all of the trunk and hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals and low back.

For beginning athletes, start with low-intensity exercises and master technique/improve strength. Then you’ll progress to lying, sitting, kneeling, standing, standing on one leg and power (high speed) exercises. Failure to follow these progressions will lead you to certain injuries like low back pain and trauma.

Core exercises (all exercises for that matter) should be performed in all 3 planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, transverse) since athletic movements occur in all 3 planes of motion.

Some medicine ball exercises such as rotational throws (pictured below) and diagonal wood chops engage the core and total body in multiple planes of motion.



Core strength is no doubt the weakest link on most athlete's bodies (and people in general). Why? Because most spend too much time strengthening the limbs (arm and legs).

Strength training should be just the opposite....stabilize and strengthen the core first (where all movement begins) and the limbs last.   Some strength training exercises that also strengthens the core area are squats, deadlift and standing dumbbell or barbell shoulder presses.

Low back injuries and other injuries of the shoulder girdle and torso are usually related to "weak core muscles" or "postural problems."

One painful and slow-healing injury that many athletes suffer is the oblique muscle strain or pull.This type of injury is usually incurred when doing a twisting or rotating movement such as swinging a bat/racket, rotating explosively, etc. The obliques are part of your core and can be strengthened with exercises like planks, bentover dumbbell rows and medicine ball exercises.

Don't ignore the core!

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How to Improve Muscle Activation and Sports Power

Sports power training teaches you how to activate the right muscles (prime movers and synergists) at the right time. Sports power training also provides you with optimal neuromuscular efficiency.

There are five purposes for sports power training:

1. Improve the excitability, sensitivity and reactivity of the neuromuscular system.

2. Improve the rate-of-force production.

3. Increase motor-unit recruitment.

4. Increase motor-unit firing frequency.

5. Increase motor-unit synchronization.

Speed strength is a combination of starting speed, explosive speed (maximum velocity in the shortest time) and reactive speed.

Speed strength is also known as power. Proper training methods will produce the strength, power and speed you will need to succeed in your sport.

The three building blocks of integrated training for the athlete are:

STABILIZATION (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to correct muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, postural distortion patterns, improve kinetic chain (human movement system), integrity and recondition/rehabilitate.

STRENGTH (3 Phases) – Primary goals are to improve stabilization strength/endurance and increase muscle hypertrophy (growth) and strength.

POWER (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to enhance neuromuscular efficiency, increase power production, increase speed strength and create neuromuscular adaptations throughout the entire range of motion.

All seven phases of training may not be necessary for all athletes. For example, some sports do not require optimum levels of muscle hypertrophy.

The training program is Multi-Planar (sagittal, frontal, transverse), Multi-Joint (exercises such as bench press, squats, lunges), Multi-Dimensional (stabilization, strength, power) , Proprioceptively Enriched (high neural demand) and Sport-Specific.

You should follow a systematic approach with the following goals in mind: injury prevention, body fat reduction and increased lean muscle mass, strength, endurance, flexibility and performance.

Rate-of-Force Production (muscles producing force in the shortest period of time) is one of the best physical indicators of the level of an athlete’s performance and future success.

After an adequate strength foundation has been built, you can work on increasing speed strength. This is best done by using a combination of:

1) Plyometrics
2) High speed medicine ball exercises
3) High speed weight training exercises
4) Multidimensional speed training exercises

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Rate-of-Force Production Powers Athletic Moves

Rate-of-force production or speed strength is one of the best indicators of whether you will succeed in your sport. You have to do more than pass the eyeball test. Sooner or later, you must prove it on the field or court. The game is your ultimate evaluator, not your height and weight.

Speed strength is a combination of starting speed, explosive speed (maximum velocity in the shortest time) and reactive speed.

Speed strength is also known as power. Proper training methods will produce the strength, power and speed the athlete needs to succeed in his or her sport.

The three building blocks of integrated training for the athlete are:

STABILIZATION (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to correct muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, postural distortion patterns, improve kinetic chain (human movement system), integrity and recondition/rehabilitate.

STRENGTH (3 Phases) – Primary goals are to improve stabilization strength/endurance and increase muscle hypertrophy (growth) and strength.

POWER (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to enhance neuromuscular efficiency, increase power production, increase speed strength and create neuromuscular adaptations throughout the entire range of motion.

All seven phases of training may not be necessary for all athletes. For example, some sports do not require optimum levels of muscle hypertrophy.

The training program is Multi-Planar (sagittal, frontal, transverse), Multi-Joint (exercises such as bench press, squats, lunges), Multi-Dimensional (stabilization, strength, power) , Proprioceptively Enriched (high neural demand) and Sport-Specific.

You should follow a systematic approach with the following goals in mind: injury prevention, body fat reduction and increased lean muscle mass, strength, endurance, flexibility and performance.

Rate-of-Force Production (muscles producing force in the shortest period of time) is one of the best physical indicators of the level of an athlete’s performance and future success.

After an adequate strength foundation has been built, you can work on increasing speed strength. This is best done by using a combination of:

1) Plyometrics
2) High speed medicine ball exercises
3) High speed weight training exercises
4) Multidimensional speed training exercises

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Improve Explosive Power, Train Your Muscles to Fire Faster

Train your muscles to fire faster and you will be a more explosive athlete. Get bigger, stronger, faster and more powerful. Explosive weight lifting will improve your power and set you apart from your athletic competitors.

Just as you can do medicine ball exercises, plyometric exercises and light dumbbell exercises explosively, you can also lift heavier weights explosively.

Lifting weights explosively is an advanced form of exercise and shouldn't be done by beginners or youngsters. Your body should have the needed stabilization and strength before beginning explosive lifts.

It doesn't help you improve as an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Research has proven that only lifting heavy weights at a moderate or slow pace will not improve your explosive power.

Especially at the start of the lift, explosive lifting can be done for exercises like (5-6 repetitions):

--Bench press
--Shoulder press
--Squats
--Leg press
--Hamstring curls
--Calf raises

....and also for bodyweight exercises, like (6-8 repetitions):

--Power step ups
--Bodyweight squats
--Pullups
--Pushups
--Inverted rows

......and medicine ball exercises, like (8-10 repetitions):

--Throws
--Chops
--Slams
--Rotational exercises

Lift explosively, safely and improve your speed and power!

"Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!"

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How Track Athletes' Jumps Differ from Ball Players' Jumps

Yes, athletes in track and field jump (plyometrics) with different technique than ballplayers. Any jump program has to be designed with your sport in mind.

Track and field athletes use heel-to-toe push-offs when doing the long jump, triple jump and high jump. Ballplayers in sports like basketball, football, baseball, etc. jump using the balls of their feet.

Track and field athletes jump after taking a pre-run, such as running and doing the high jump (pictured below). Ballplayers jump in reaction to unexpected situations or they must jump quickly from a standstill or running position.

So, your plyometric program should include exercises that closely mimic movements in your sport (sport specific training or transfer-of-training effect). It makes no sense for a track and field athlete to practice squat jumps (pictured below) or standing long jumps. Ballplayers do these exercises all the time.

Plyometric exercises should also progress from simple to complex. For instance, you would practice simple bounding exercises before progressing to depth jumps.

Practice exercises that prepare you for your sport!

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How to Improve Vertical Jump Height

Improve your vertical jump height with hard work and more hard work. You have to train correctly to improve your hops. It will also improve your speed. At the NFL Combine, those with the highest vertical jumps typically have the fastest 40 yard dash times.

So, here are my Top 2 Vertical Jump Improvement Tips:

1. Improve your total body strength, especially leg strength. Overall strength training (including core training) is needed to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems and improve flexibility.

How much lower body strength do you need to develop optimum power? A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

Powerful athletic movements initiate with or transfer through your core area. Translation: a weak core will severely hurt your power output and vertical jump.

2. Explosive weight lifting will improve your power and set you apart from your athletic competitors. Make your total body more explosive.

Just as you can do medicine ball exercises, plyometric exercises and light dumbbell exercises explosively, you can also lift heavier weights explosively.

Lifting weights explosively is an advanced form of exercise and shouldn't be done by beginners or youngsters. Your body should have the needed stabilization and strength before beginning explosive lifts.

It doesn't help you improve as an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Research has proven that only lifting heavy weights at a moderate or slow pace will not improve your explosive power.

Plyometrics help you to increase leg power and arm power.

Work hard, expect success!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Progressive Core and Power Training

Strengthen your weak core area or you don't have a chance to succeed in your sport. Your power output will suffer. Your risk of injury also increases when your core is weak.

Powerful athletic movements initiate with or transfer through your core area.

For example, the best way to increase arm speed is that power needs to be transferred from your legs through your core to your throwing arm.

This will increase your arm speed and throwing miles-per-hour (MPH). Many athletes have strong, powerful legs but weak cores......that will give you a POWER SHORTAGE!

It should be noted that exercises like squats, deadlift and standing shoulder presses also work your core big-time. Just brace your torso (as if getting ready to take a punch) when you do the exercises to engage your core area.

Core training is also critical for improving your running speed. Here are the basics of how to progress with your core training:

1. Slow to Fast
2. Known to Unknown
3. Stable to Controlled to Dynamic
4. Low Force to High Force
5. Correct Execution to Increased Intensity

You can start at the highest level of core stabilization training that you can control.

The dimensions of core stabilization training are:

Stabilization - The core exercises at this level involve little joint motion and are designed to provide optimum neuromuscular control. An example would be the plank:

Strength - At this level of core training, isometric exercises are replaced with dynamic, multi-planar and multi-dimensional exercises with the full range of motion. An example would be the ball back extension:



Power - At this level, sport-specific core exercises are used in all 3 planes of motion with the entire contraction velocity spectrum (different speeds). An example would be the medicine ball rotational throw:

Advanced core exercises should be performed in a standing position because most athletic movements are made on your feet. When you do standing core exercises, you engage all of the trunk and hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals and low back.

For beginning athletes, start with low-intensity exercises and master technique/improve strength. Then you’ll progress to lying, sitting, kneeling, standing, standing on one leg and power (high speed) exercises. Failure to follow these progressions will lead you to certain injuries like low back pain and trauma.

You should strengthen and condition your core area all year.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workout and start changing your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Short Burst Workouts Improve Power and Speed

Improve your performance on the court or field with explosive, short burst, powerful workouts. Long, dragged-out workouts will improve your general conditioning but they won't improve your power and speed.

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are 5 steps to take to improve your explosive power and speed:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will "catch up in strength" to the right leg. These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

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Improve Throwing Miles per Hour with Power

Improve your throwing miles per hour (velocity) with an integrated training approach. Just lifting weights and increasing arm strength won't improve your throwing velocity.

What you also need is more power and explosion, or speed strength. Improve your arm speed in order to improve your throwing velocity.

Here are 3 tips to improve your throwing velocity:

1. You need strength in your legs, core and upper body/arm (particularly a strong shoulder).

2. Improve your power output. Power needs to be transferred from your legs through your core to your throwing arm. This will improve your arm speed and throwing velocity. Many athletes have strong, powerful legs but weak cores.

Include power exercises like squat jumps, vertical leaps, sport-specific plyometric exercises and sport-specific medicine ball exercises in your training program. These power exercises should be performed at FULL SPEED.

3. Medicine ball power exercises are a must in your program. You are able to mimic powerful motions with these exercises. Some exercises you should do are the medicine ball rotational throw, medicine ball soccer throw, medicine ball one-armed throw and medicine ball slams.

"Powerizing" your entire body will improve your arm speed and throwing velocity.

Work hard and expect success!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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6 Tips to Improve Explosive Power with Eccentric Training

Improving your power on the field or court will make you faster and more explosive. You will jump higher at a quicker rate. You will accelerate faster and beat your opponent to the spot. You will be a better playmaker and that's what sports competition is all about.  Players make plays.

                                   

Eccentric contraction training will improve your power and make you a more explosive athlete. Teams with powerful players win more games.

Strong eccentric contractions are critical for you to produce maximal power since all force production (concentric) must be preceded by force reduction (eccentric).

These 6 tips will help build eccentric contraction strength and improve your power:

1. Eccentric muscle contraction weight training.  First, you should strength train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force).

Eccentric contractions are able to produce the most tension development followed by isometric contractions and lastly, concentric contractions.  You should devote time during training for eccentric contractions.

Eccentric contraction training of muscles can significantly reduce your injury risks.  Injury risks like torn ACL knee ligaments, achilles tendon strains/tears and hamstring injuries can be lessened.


Eccentric muscle contraction weight training is the lowering phase (force reduction) of a lift.

For example, you would lift the weight (concentric or force production) for a hamstring curl for one count and lower the weight for 3-4 counts. For bench press, lift the weight for 1 count and lower the weight for 3-4 counts.

2. Plyometric (jump training) exercises always follow the same order: a landing phase, an amortization phase and the take off.

                                        

 
The landing phase starts when the muscles start an eccentric contraction. The rapid eccentric contraction stretches the elastic component of the muscle and activates the stretch reflex. A high level of eccentric strength is needed during the landing phase. Inadequate strength will result in a slow rate of stretch and less activation of the stretch reflex.

The amortization phase, the time on the ground, is the most important part of a plyometric exercise. It represents the time between the landing and the take off and is critical for power development. If the amortization phase is too long, the stretch reflex is lost and there is no plyometric effect.

The take off is the concentric contraction that follows the landing. During this phase the stored elastic energy is used to increase jump height and explosive power.

3. Running downhill.

4. Depth jumps from a platform (emphasize the landing and hold only).  The depth jump is an exercise that will improve your speed, power and athleticism because it works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calf muscles.

5. Improving your muscular balance. For example, your quadricep muscles should not be significantly stronger than your hamstring muscles. Your frontside should not be significantly stronger than your backside. And, your left side should not be significantly stronger than your right side.

One-legged and one-armed exercises help you to maintain muscular balance.

6. Range of motion should not be restricted. Do exercises with a full range of motion unless you are in rehabilitation. Rehab exercises are done to restore your full range of motion.

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Increased Vertical Jump and Long Jump Improves Power and Speed

Train to improve your vertical jump height and long jump distance before your football, basketball or baseball combine camp. You could improve your chances of getting a scholarship to play at the college level. The fastest runners in the 40-yard dash typically have the highest vertical jumps and longest broad jumps. Both jumps show how much explosive leg power you have.

Vertical Jump

Here are 4 things you can do now to improve your vertical jump:

1. Improve your total body strength, especially leg strength. Overall strength training (including core training) is needed to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems and improve flexibility.

A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

Powerful athletic movements initiate with or transfer through your core area. Translation: a weak core will severely hurt your power output and vertical jump.

2. Explosive weight lifting will improve your power and set you apart from your athletic competitors. Make your total body more explosive.

Just as you can do medicine ball exercises, plyometric exercises and light dumbbell exercises explosively, you can also lift heavier weights explosively.

Lifting weights explosively is an advanced form of exercise and shouldn't be done by beginners or youngsters. Your body should have the needed stabilization and strength before beginning explosive lifts.

It doesn't help you improve as an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Research has proven that only lifting heavy weights at a moderate or slow pace will not improve your explosive power.

3. Do plyometrics, upper and lower body. Plyometric exercises help you to increase leg power and arm power. Exercises like squat jumps, medicine ball throws and side-to-side hops are good examples.

A high level of eccentric strength is needed during the landing phase of a plyometric jump. Inadequate strength will result in a slow rate of stretch and less activation of the stretch reflex. The amortization phase, the time on the ground, is the most important part of a plyometric exercise.

It represents the time between the landing and the take off and is critical for power development. If the amortization phase is too long, the stretch reflex is lost and there is no plyometric effect. The take off is the concentric contraction that follows the landing. During this phase the stored elastic energy is used to increase jump height and explosive power.

Plyometrics represent high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. While plyometrics can improve your speed, power, and performance, they also place you at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises.

It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises. Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered by you. Exercises should also be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose you to injury.

4. Do deep knee bends and deep knee bend jumps at the end of your workout. Deep knee bends will strengthen your knees and ligaments supporting them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump.

For deep knee bends, make sure that your back is straight when you are bending your knees. Squat down as low as possible and rise back in a slow motion. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 repetitions. You can add dumbbells to this exercise as you progress.

Deep knee bend jumps are like deep knee bends. When you reach the lowest point of the squat, leap vertically and explosively as high as you can. When you land, squat back down and jump again. Do 10-15 repetitions.

A vertical jump of:

30-32 inches - Good

33-36 inches - Very Good

37-40 inches - Excellent

Above 40 inches - Elite

Long Jump

The standing long jump (or broad jump) should be a regular part of your sports training workouts.



Use a soft athletic surface such as grass, astro-play or rubber floor to perform the long jump.

1. Stand behind a marked line.

2. Swing your arms back and bend your knees to propel your take-off.

3. Use a 2-footed take-off and landing. Jump as far as you can and land without falling backwards.

Your jump is measured from the take-off line to the nearest point of contact which is the back of the heels.

A long jump of:

7 ft. to 8 ft. - Good

8.5 ft. to 10 ft. - Very Good

10.5 ft. to 11 ft. - Excellent

Above 11 ft. - Elite

Include standing long jumps and vertical jump exercises in your training to improve your leg power and running speed.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
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Sports Fitness Hut

10-Minute Power Workout Improves Explosiveness

Improve your power and it will improve your explosive speed. You don't have to be the fastest player on the field--just accelerate faster and beat your opponent to the spot.

Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg.
These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Athletic Short Bursts and Strength Workouts

Short bursts of power and strength are critical for athletes in speed sports. Its not always how fast you are but how fast you can get to a spot. You will rarely reach maximum speed during a game.

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg. These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

10 Minute Sports Fitness Workouts

Get more fit for the sport you are playing. You will enjoy the game more and perform better.....who wants to be out-of-shape, slow and cramped up?!

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg.
These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

More Muscle, Power and Speed Won The Game

The winning team looked more muscular, speedy and powerful. She said the other team looked "thicker." It took me a moment to understand what she meant. She meant the other team looked more muscular and powerful! And, that "thicker" team won the game.

I say it this way:

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

I was watching a client play a baseball game one day and his mother said, "the other team looks thicker." She said a ton of things without really knowing what she said. Its not a coincidence that the other team won the game.

The evidence is clear when it comes to sports fitness training. If you aren't continually getting bigger, faster (and powerful) and stronger (muscular), you will be left behind. And, your team will probably lose against an equal or lesser team that is bigger, faster and stronger.

Weight lifting, speed training and power training can be done all the time. Its called periodization.

When you do periodized training, it prepares you to peak during the season. But, you never really stop training (you just take needed breaks or rest periods).

Those athletes and teams that do year-round periodized training will be more successful.

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Improve Athletic Explosive Power in 10 Minutes

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg.
These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Power Step Ups Improves Explosion and Speed

Use power step ups to help improve your hip explosion and speed strength.



One of the top athletic training exercises is the power step up. Improve your speed sooner with power step ups. Do this exercise full speed with control.

Doing one-legged (unilateral) exercises will improve your speed because you use the same pathways that it takes to run. Sometimes, too much focus is placed on leg exercises done with two legs (bilateral).

These two-legged exercises, like squats, are needed in your exercise program. But, one of the best physical indicators of athletic success is dynamic balance (rate-of-force production or power is the other).

Do the power step up this way:

1. Face a bench or platform (knee high) and put your right foot on the bench. Your knee should be bent 90 degrees. Don't do this exercise with dumbbells until you have mastered the bodyweight version.

2. Alternate your feet on and off the bench or platform (you will be sprinting in place).

3. Explosively drive your knees up and pump your arms as fast as possible. Each set should be 20-30 seconds.

4. Do this exercise with correct running mechanics.

Challenge yourself to improve your hip strength/explosion and speed!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs