How to increase vertical jump

To increase your vertical jump, do plyometrics one to three times a week for more than 10 weeks, lift heavy for your legs, and practice the jump you are testing. Across the studies in one meta-analysis, plyometric training raised a countermovement jump with arm swing by 7.5% on average. For the median man aged 18-29 that is about 1.5 in, from 20.4 in to 21.9 in, which moves him from the 50th to the 67th percentile.

Measure your vertical jump first

Test before you train so you know whether the program worked. Stand side-on to a wall, reach up with the near hand and mark your standing reach. Then jump from a standstill with an arm swing, no step, and touch as high as you can. Your vertical is the difference, and the vertical jump calculator does the subtraction and ranks it. Take the best of three, and retest the same way.

For context, the median man aged 18-29 jumps 20.4 in and the median woman 13.3 in. The average vertical jump by age has the full tables for every age band, and the full calculator ranks your jump alongside strength, agility and endurance.

How much can you increase your vertical jump?

Less than most online programs promise. A meta-analysis of plyometric training in healthy people found an average gain of 7.5% in a countermovement jump with arm swing, the jump this site measures, with a 95% confidence interval of 4.2% to 10.8% (Markovic, 2007, Br J Sports Med). The tables apply that average gain to adults aged 18-29 and score the result with the same reference data as the calculator.

Men aged 18-29

Women aged 18-29

That sounds small, but in these tables it is worth 12 to 17 percentile points, because most adults jump within a few inches of each other. Program length matters: in female athletes, plyometric programs shorter than 10 weeks had a small effect on countermovement jump height and programs longer than 10 weeks a large one (Stojanović et al., 2017, Sports Medicine). These are averages across studies. Your own result can land well above or below them.

How to increase vertical jump: what works

1. Plyometrics, enough of them. A meta-analysis of 56 studies found the largest gains with programs of more than 10 weeks and more than 20 sessions, at more than 50 jumps a session, and with a mix of jump types (squat jumps, countermovement jumps and drop jumps) rather than one. People in good and poor condition benefited alike, and those with more sport experience gained more (de Villarreal et al., 2009, J Strength Cond Res).
2. Heavy leg strength. A review of the strength literature concluded that greater muscular strength improves general skills like jumping and sprinting, and that stronger athletes potentiate earlier and more (Suchomel et al., 2016, Sports Medicine). In a 2026 network meta-analysis of 34 studies and 1,057 participants, resistance training on its own improved countermovement jump height compared with control groups, and complex training (a heavy lift followed by a jump, set by set) added 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) over resistance training alone (Zhao et al., 2026, BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil).
3. Keep the jumps unloaded. The 56-study meta-analysis found no extra benefit from doing plyometrics with added weight. Put the heavy load in the squat and deadlift and keep the jumps at bodyweight.
4. Practice the test. Arm swing, the depth of the dip and where you reach all change the number. A few maximal jump-and-reach attempts every week or two, done fresh, keep the skill sharp. This is coaching convention rather than a study result.

If your squat is already strong for your bodyweight (see squat standards by bodyweight) and your jump lags behind, spend more of your time on jumps. If your squat is weak, getting stronger is likely the bigger lever. The same strength and jump work carries over to sprinting, and how to increase speed for sports adds the sprint and change-of-direction side.

How often to train: plyometrics once or twice a week

Frequency matters less than total jumps. In a 14-week trial, young male soccer players who did one plyometric session a week improved their vertical jump, sprints and change of direction as much as players who did two sessions with the same total number of jumps. Sessions of 120 jumps produced the gains, and one session of 60 jumps a week then maintained them for another 7 weeks (Moran et al., 2024, J Strength Cond Res). A broader review describes short-term plyometric training as 2-3 sessions a week for 6-15 weeks (Markovic and Mikulic, 2010, Sports Medicine).

Vertical jump training program: 12 weeks

A template built to clear the meta-analysis thresholds above: two jump sessions a week, more than 20 sessions in total, and more than 50 jumps a session once you are past the first weeks. The weekly numbers, the deload weeks and the order of jump types are coaching convention, not tested as a package.

Do the jumps at the start of a session, after a warm-up and before any heavy lifting, and lift heavy for your legs once or twice a week. A common prescription is 3-5 sets of 3-6 reps of a squat or deadlift variation. Rest fully between jump sets. Each jump should be a real attempt, not conditioning.

When to add drop jumps and depth jumps

Drop jumps are the most demanding plyometric. The common coaching rule is to add them only once you can land from a 30 cm step with both knees tracking over your toes and hold the landing, and to raise the box only while your jump off it is at least as high as your normal jump. If you are new to training, very heavy, or carrying a knee or Achilles problem, stay with low-intensity jumps and build strength first. These are coaching conventions; the research does not set a single strength threshold.

Get a plan built from your numbers

The training plan uses your own test results to decide how much of each week goes to jumps, strength, agility and running, with deloads in weeks 5 and 10 and a retest in week 12. If power is your weakest quality, it gets more of the time. The preview is free. The full 12 weeks cost $3.99 plus tax.

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