I’ve been looking for that extra lift when I jump during basketball games. Any good ideas for helping me add inches to my vertical so I can go Vince Carter on all the suckers at Yates?—Tien
I am sorry to tell you, but your vertical leap is directly related to your parents. Your genes determine the abilities of the muscles in your legs, and the muscles dictate how much ups you can have. But no worries mate, there is still a way that you can impress the on-lookers at Yates as well as the best of ballers. Everybody does calf raises to get to the rim faster, and that works. But try exercising the front part of your shin. With resistance from a friend, you can slowly flex your toes upward while your spotter pulls down on your foot with a hand or taut towel. Go slow. Getting stronger on both sides of your foot will bring a balanced spring in your leap to the rim. Plyometrics-a type of strength training that can make you run faster and jump higher-can help you too. Look up some simple exercises on the internet to help, but remember, don’t expect to see your elbow inside the rim anytime soon unless your dad is Vince Carter.
I go to the gym for a couple hours every day, and now that school is starting up, I don’t think I have enough time to fit in every lift. What are some good exercises that work all my muscles in a short amount of time, so I can keep my killer body?—John “The Juice” Pena
There is a breakthrough in strength training that can be done by beginners as well as the finely tuned athlete. High Intensity Training (HIT) is a new concept that can improve overall strength in a short amount of time. Before you start HIT choose an exercise that will loosen the most joints at one time like the bench press or the elliptical machine. Don’t go nuts, it’s just a warm-up to get you loose. Once you’re ready to seriously lift, the most important thing about HIT is that you must do one set at about 70 percent of your max. Do it for about 90 to 120 seconds. Ease- don’t jerk-down the bar, and bring it down for two seconds focusing on keeping control. Push up for three seconds with a flexed pause for a half-second count at the top. It’s important to never lock your elbows when you extend your arms, and avoid allowing your forearms to be greater than a right angle to your biceps muscle when the weight comes down over your chest. This prevents tearing of some tissue and muscle in your shoulder. If you can do 90 seconds of HIT, you should reach momentary muscular failure, which is when you know the muscle is broken down. This is your goal, and you’ll have accomplished what you would have done in four sets of regular lifting. Be careful, you always need a spotter even if you’re nickname is “Juice.”
Billy Buckingham, a personal trainer, can be reached at thevoice@georgetown.edu to answer any of your fitness-related questions
