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By Will
Flores
My vertical
jump height
has always
been an issue
with me, so I
decided to
check out some
programs that
claim to add
inches. The
first one, Air
Alert, claims
to add 8 to 14
inches more
onto the end
of your jump.
The other
program, The
Jump Manual,
supposedly
adds many more
than that. It
bases
achievable
jump height
not on
preformed
notions of how
to train and
for what
length of
time, but on
the
individual.
The Jump
Manual creator
promises email
assistance,
and even
provides
forums where
you can chat
with a bunch
of other
people who are
also using the
program. Air
Alert seems
like more of a
mechanical
program with
less of a
personal touch
– the
Starbucks of
the training
world pushing
conformity and
rote results,
as opposed to
the local
coffee house,
celebrating
originality
and full
potential.
The guy who
created The
Jump Manual
has personal
experience
with pretty
much every
type of
training
program out
there,
including
college
programs,
stair running,
strength
shoes, and
yes, even Air
Alert! He
wasn’t able to
get the
results he
wanted with
any of these,
so he did
extensive
research to
find out how
he could add
the maximum
number of
inches
possible to
his jump. I’m
not sure who
devised Air
Alert, but The
Jump Manual
was obviously
created by
someone who
has been where
his clients
are now. He
speaks from
personal
experience,
and The Jump
Manual
reflects that.
The person
behind The
Jump Manual
realizes that
nutrition is a
very, very
important
factor in
increasing the
height of a
jump. Air
Alert never
mentions
nutrition –
it’s focused
on training
muscles,
tendons, and
ligaments,
like the
Achilles. I
was a little
leery of the
nutritional
aspect at
first, since I
prefer to take
my diet advice
from a
nutritionist,
but The Jump
Manual has
been reviewed
by physicians.
Plus, the
holistic
approach to
improving jump
height
appealed to me
right away,
since I know
there are a
ton of factors
involved in
priming a body
to be as
effective as
possible.
The Jump
Manual focuses
on muscle
quickness and
strength,
while Air
Alert seems
more geared
toward
endurance
training. Air
Alert
emphasizes the
same
repetitive
exercises so
that your body
memorizes
them. The Jump
Manual takes
your brain
into account –
it uses
neurological
means to
engage your
body, focusing
on getting
both strength
and quickness
in the same
muscle
contraction.
Personally,
I’d rather
work to my
full potential
instead of
forcing my
body to
memorize how
to add on a
preset amount
of inches.
Like I said,
The
Jump Manual
seems like
more of a
holistic
program,
taking into
account many
different
factors. It
mentions nine
variables,
which include
balance, fuel,
form, stamina,
and
flexibility,
as well as the
whole proper
nutritional
aspect. Air
Alert seems to
focus almost
entirely on
muscle
training, with
a huge focus
on ligaments
and tendons,
buttocks,
thighs, and
calves. The
Jump Manual,
on the other
hand,
recommends low
repetitions
with a higher
intensity. It
is against
what Air Alert
calls
“Habitual Jump
Training,”
which
emphasizes
repetition and
endurance. The
Jump Manual
seems like a
smarter way of
training,
focusing on
quality over
quantity. I’d
rather train
with a brain
than work my
muscles to
death and get
less desirable
results.
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