Basketball: Vertical Jump & Court Performance

Overview

This 8-week program is built for basketball players who want to add inches to their vertical, improve their lateral quickness, and maintain strength through a long season. You will train 3 days per week in the gym and perform 1-2 plyometric sessions separately.

The program follows a block periodization approach: the first four weeks build your strength foundation, and the last four weeks convert that strength into explosive power. Most basketball training programs make the mistake of jumping straight to plyometrics without building the force production capacity first. That is backwards.

If your squat is not at least 1.5x bodyweight, the strength phase matters more than anything else for your vertical.

Phase 1: Strength Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Train 3 days per week. Rest at least one day between sessions.

Day 1 - Lower Body Strength

• •Barbell Back Squat: 4x5 (2min rest)
• •Barbell Hip Thrust: 4x8 (90s rest)
• •Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x8 per leg (60s rest)
• •Nordic Hamstring Curl: 3x6 (90s rest)
• •Standing Calf Raise: 4x12 (45s rest)

Day 2 - Upper Body + Core

• •Chin-Ups: 4x6 (90s rest)
• •Dumbbell Bench Press: 4x8 (90s rest)
• •Single-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3x10 per side (60s rest)
• •Half-Kneeling Landmine Press: 3x8 per side (60s rest)
• •Pallof Press: 3x10 per side (45s rest)
• •Hanging Leg Raise: 3x12 (45s rest)

Day 3 - Lower Body + Plyometric Intro

• •Trap Bar Deadlift: 4x5 (2min rest)
• •Goblet Squat: 3x10 (60s rest)
• •Box Step-Up with Dumbbells: 3x8 per leg (60s rest)
• •Depth Drop (from 12-inch box, stick landing): 3x5 (60s rest)
• •Lateral Bound (stick landing): 3x5 per side (60s rest)

Phase 2: Power Conversion (Weeks 5-8)

Training shifts to contrast sets: a heavy strength movement paired with an explosive movement using the same pattern. Rest 2-3 minutes between the pair.

Day 1 - Vertical Power

• •Back Squat: 4x3 at 85% (2min rest) superset with Box Jump: 4x4 (focus on max height)
• •Trap Bar Deadlift: 3x4 (2min rest) superset with Broad Jump: 3x4
• •Single-Leg Hip Thrust: 3x8 per side (60s rest)
• •Depth Jump (18-inch box): 4x3 (2min rest)
• •Calf Raise (heavy): 3x8 (60s rest)

Day 2 - Upper Body + Reactive Core

• •Weighted Chin-Up: 4x4 (2min rest)
• •Dumbbell Push Press: 4x5 (90s rest)
• •Med Ball Chest Pass (against wall): 3x8 (60s rest)
• •Single-Arm Cable Row: 3x10 per side (60s rest)
• •Med Ball Rotational Slam: 3x6 per side (60s rest)
• •Ab Wheel Rollout: 3x10 (45s rest)

Day 3 - Lateral Power + Agility

• •Lateral Squat: 3x8 per side (60s rest)
• •Lateral Box Jump: 4x4 per side (90s rest)
• •Single-Leg Squat to Box: 3x6 per leg (60s rest)
• •Skater Bound: 3x6 per side (60s rest)
• •Defensive Slide Drill: 4x10 yards each direction (45s rest)
• •Single-Leg Calf Raise: 3x12 per side (30s rest)

Court-Specific Conditioning (1-2x per week, separate days)

Do these on non-lifting days. Keep total ground contacts under 100 per session.

Plyometric Session

• •Approach Vertical Jump (1-2 step): 4x5 (90s rest)
• •Reactive Drop Jump: 3x5 (90s rest)
• •Lateral Hurdle Hop: 3x6 per side (60s rest)
• •Sprint to Backpedal (half court): 4 reps (60s rest)
• •Lane Agility Drill: 4 reps (90s rest)

Progression Guidelines

• •Increase squat and deadlift loads by 5-10 lbs per week during Phase 1
• •In Phase 2, keep strength loads at 82-88% of max and focus on jump quality
• •Track your standing vertical every two weeks to monitor progress
• •If you feel flat or sluggish, cut plyometric volume by 30% that week
• •Sleep 8+ hours. Jumping ability is the first thing to decline when under-recovered
• •Stop plyometric sets when jump height visibly drops. Quality over volume always wins

Notes

Do not add extra conditioning on top of basketball practice. This program assumes you are already playing 2-3 times per week. If you are playing 5+ times per week in season, cut gym work to 2 days and drop Phase 2 plyometric volume in half.