When I was looking for ways to increase my vertical jump, I saw a lot of different programs around. There were also many Jump Manual reviews online.
But, most of them didn’t really give much information and were just trying to sell the product.
Like everyone nowadays who plays basketball, we’re all looking for ways to improve our game. One of which is to increase our vertical leap. This lets us go over opponents and even make fancy dunks that will make the crowds stand on their feet.
I belong in that group group too. Over the years, I’ve been trying every different way to jump higher. I’ve bought a few useless pieces of equipment and even tried the jump shoes. For a long time I tried to go the short cut route, but looking at special training equipment that will let me jump higher in a short amount of time, instead of working on what really produced gains.
I was lucky though, that after a few years of using and buying dumb tools for jumping higher, one of my friends who was into weight training put me in my place. He told me to check out the Jump Manual. I did spend some time on online looking at reviews before finally giving it a try, only because I looked up to my friend.
Jump Manual Results after 12 Weeks
I’ll tell you now, the program isn’t easy. It takes 3 months to complete from start to finish.
And for me, I was forced by my friend to read the entire manual twice over and only could begin after I understood everything.
Looking back, I’m quite glad he forced me to otherwise I probably would have just jumped right into the workout section without reading the other chapters. That would have been a big mistake.
After 12 weeks I re-measured my jump and was pleased to see a 6 inch gain. This was great and the first time a program worked as advertised. Now, if you compared my results with other users and their feedback you’ll quickly see mine are underwhelming.
This is where I want to insert a lesson for anyone using the program, and probably any other training program. If you want to get optimal increase from this jumping program, you need to focus on getting proper nutrition and rest. It’s not just about spending quality time in the gym working out, but also spending quality time away from it.
That was my mistake, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to work an extra job so this left me drained and tired. I wasn’t also able to eat as well as I liked because I had to work shifts. Yet I gained 6 inches on my vertical leap, so imagine what you could get if you didn’t have all these other interruptions.
What Made the Jump Manual Different?
I realized a week after starting the Jump Manual Programm that there’s a right way to train to get results. The exercises were different and the things it was telling me to do weren’t the same as the other programs.
This is Jacob Hiller, the Jump Manual’s creator explaining it (he does a better job at it than I would).
The Jump Manual – Things You Need to Focus On
I can tell you I learned a lot because of my mistakes and when I get my schedule freed up I plan to go another round with the program. Here are the important things to remember if you plan to use the Jump Manual system to increase your vertical.
- Eat right. This is very important and something a young guy might overlook thinking the gains are all in the workouts and training. WRONG! The food, more importantly proper food at the proper time will replenish your muscles to help them develop and grow stronger. That’s what gives you results.
- Be serious in your training. This means you don’t have any ‘off days’ or days when you don’t feel like it. When I have days like these. I go to YouTube and play some motivational video, that gets me pumped. Find something that works for you. Half effort, means half results.
- Importance of progressive overload. This is a word I learned from my friend. And something that’s repeated in the manual. It means you need to increase the intensity or weight your working with once you can comfortably do the exercise or lift the weight. It’s the only way the body is challenged and will improve. If you keep training on something that is easy for you, you won’t get better.
- Don’t overtrain and get enough rest. In my case I didn’t overtrain. I followed the exercises and didn’t workout on the off days. My problem was I had to work my part time job so I didn’t get to rest. Both overtraining and not getting enough rest harm your development and in a way waste your training, because the muscles don’t get time to recover and rebuild. So they don’t get the improvements they should.
- Jumping higher is not just about jumping. It is a combination of strength, jumping exercises, form & technique, and flexibility. Doing one of them will help you but doing them together properly will give you bigger increases. I learned this in the program as Jacob Hiller incorporates weight training, sprints, form techniques and jumps in the program. Together you get in better condition, improve your agility and strength all of which contribute to higher leaping ability.
My Review Summary
Whether you’re trying to increase your jump to dunk or want to be able to do 360 degree or between the legs dunks, this program is something that will help. Make no mistake it is a serious program that requires serious commitment. And by this I don’t mean just showing up in the gym and doing the exercises. It means doing the exercises properly, eating correctly, and getting proper rest for muscle recovery. Everything is explained in the book. But it’s up to you to pick it up, read it thoroughly and put discipline for the 12 weeks to get the results. For more of our top jump programs check out our reviews here.
What to Expect from the Jump Manual – Review Outlook
This is a complete vertical jump program that does not just include jumping exercises but also getting stronger.
As such, you can set aside one entire summer to work on it and come back a better ball player. Why?
That’s because you’ll also build up your strength and conditioning along the way.
The key here is to go through the program and understand what you need to do. Don’t mix it with other muscle building program like many people do coming up with some Frankenstein workout.
Don’t take parts of it and say, “I’ll just do this part” because it looks like where the jumping results will come from. No!
This is a wholistic program. And, it is important to understand that different muscles like your back and core are essential to increasing vertical jump. It’s not just the legs.
If you want to test it out, ask the highest jumpers you know to do pull ups. I’ll guarantee they do more than most people. This is actually one strange exercise I’ve noticed.
The reason is that strong back and core play a huge role in jumping ability even if they seem so far from your legs.