Hey,
Surprisingly, a lot of dunkers I talk to about jump/dunk training don't seem to realize the benefits of adding upper body training into their weekly training routine. Jumping is a FULL BODY movement. it's more than just legs and core.
So what are the main upper body muscles used in jumping? Well let's take a look at the 2 major upper body movements happening when you jump.
When jumping you first start with your arms out straight in front, then swinging them back behind you. The main muscle groups responsible for this are your rear dear deltoids, lats, teres major, rhomboids and traps.
When your hands are pulled all the way back, the second part of the movement is to swing your arms all the way back up. The main muscles used for this are your anterior deltoids, upper chest, and traps.
So when training upper body, incorporate lifts that target these muscles and mimic the up and down arm swings of jumping This being said, remember to lift EXPLOSIVELY, otherwise you'll simply be adding useless size and mass to your body.
Train hard, train smart!
Sincerely,
Jordan Kilganon
What kind of exercise come to mind....
Explosive upperbody... with those targeted muscle..
I can only think of..
- medicine ball throw... for the Swing up part.
what about the arm swing back part?
ya I agree upper is important.. it definitely shouldn't be completely neglected.
Throws are great. I also love plate swings (ie a 45 lb. plate). As for throws, medicine ball throws are an exercise to help get the power out of the current strength/muscle you already have. You still want a few general strength exercises in your routine like pullups/dips.
as for building up strength in those muscle groups, pullup variations & dip variations are always gold. Moderately heavy barbell/dumbell row/bench press/overhead press will work all of those muscle groups. Exercises to isolate the smaller muscles of the shoulders & mid/upper back are things like front/lateral/rear raises etc.
as for always training explosively otherwise the muscle/strength your building is "useless" .. well, you can always turn "useless" size into useful size by transitioning into power/explosive strength blocks etc.. but, for most exercises we want to be transitioning/accelerating through the reversal point.. so even if you are moving a heavy weight slow, you're trying to reverse it & finish it -> fast. For smaller isolation exercises this isn't really a big deal though.. slow & controlled is just fine.
pc!
