Leap Tall Buildings (and Build Traps of Steel)
Mondays With Thibs
by Christian Thibaudeau

Last week,
I asked you how you'd like to start your Mondays, and you came
through.
Now, it's time for Testosterone to deliver and give you
want you want.
So, I donned my favorite robe, poured myself a fine glass of
wine, and began to ponder two of your questions.
Psych!
Actually, I just got done pissing off my traps at the gym and am
writing this on the back of my training log, sweat dripping,
blurring the words below.
But none of that matters because when you're finished with this
you'll be jumping clear through to the clouds and your traps will
finally touch your ears.



The Superman Vertical Program
Among athletes in speed and power sports, increasing their
vertical is one of the most sought after goals. One of the reasons
is that the vertical jump is always included in the
assessment tests used by coaches, so a good result can mean the
difference between making the team and cleaning up after
it.
But there's more to it than impressing the coaches. A
jaw-dropping vertical is a telltale sign that you've properly
developed the "speed muscles," as well as a complete lower body.
Lastly, high jumps indicate an efficient nervous system, and an
efficient nervous system means more agility, speed, and
power.
For those reasons, the vertical jump is actually a pretty good
method to evaluate athletic potential.
Now, the question is, "How can I improve my
vert?"
People assume that the quads and calves are the main muscles
involved in jumping, and thus train the heck out of 'em. That's a
problem.
While it's true that these muscles are important — around
20% of your vertical power comes from your calves and around 30%
from your quads — that still leaves 50%. Of that, 40% is
taken up by your hips, glutes, and hams, and the final 10% comes
from your upper body, namely your arms and
shoulders.
So, if you want to drastically increase your vertical, you need
to build up power in all of these muscles. Don't forget that the
chain will always break at its weakest link; the muscle that's
lagging will be the one keeping you grounded.
Okay, time to cut the chitchat, here's the
program!

Session A
A) Power clean from the hang
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 4-6
Rest: 90 seconds


1 | 2 | 3

B) Bottom-up half squat and vertical jump
contrast
Sets: 4-5
Rest: Between 120 and 180 seconds
Here's what a set consists of:



1 rep bottom-up half squat
3 vertical jumps
1 rep bottom-up half squat
3 vertical jumps
1 rep bottom-up half squat
3 vertical jumps
1 rep bottom-up half squat
3 vertical jumps
1 rep bottom-up half squat
3 vertical jumps


There's no rest during the set.
Execution: For the bottom-up half squat, set the bar on the
safety pins at a height where you're in the half-squat position at
the start. Squat up from that dead-start position.
C) Sumo deadlift and long jump contrast
Sets: 4-5
Rest: Between 120 and 180 seconds
Like above, a set looks like this:

1 rep sumo deadlifts
3 long jumps
1 rep sumo deadlifts
3 long jumps
1 rep sumo deadlifts
3 long jumps
1 rep sumo deadlifts
3 long jumps
1 rep sumo deadlifts
3 long jumps
There's no rest during the set.

Session B
A1) Full back squat
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 4-6
Rest: 60 seconds
A2) Jump squat
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 90 seconds
Loading: Use 30% of what you used in A1.
B1) Romanian deadlift
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 4-6
Rest: 60 seconds
B2) Two-arm dumbbell swing
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 8-10
Rest: 90 seconds


1 | 2

C1) Standing calf raise
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 4-6 with a two-second hold at the top
Rest: 90 seconds
C2) Seated calf raise
Sets: 4-5
Reps: 15-20 with a two-second pause at the top and one at the
bottom
Rest: 90 seconds

Session C
A1) Front squat
Sets: 8
Reps: 4-6
Rest: 120 seconds
A2) Romanian deadlift
Sets: 8
Reps: 4-6
Rest: 120 seconds
You have two lower body sessions per week, ideally on Monday and
Thursday. On the two other days, work your torso (Tuesday) and
arms/shoulders (Friday or Saturday).
Run through all three sessions successively, so over several
weeks it looks something like this:

Week 1
Monday: Session A
Tuesday: Torso (chest and back)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Session B
Friday: Off
Saturday: Arms/shoulders
Sunday: Off


Week 2
Monday: Session C
Tuesday: Torso (chest and back)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Session A
Friday: Off
Saturday: Arms/shoulders
Sunday: Off



Week 3
Monday: Session B
Tuesday: Torso (chest and back)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Session C
Friday: Off
Saturday: Arms/shoulders
Sunday: Off

Week 4
Monday: Session A
Tuesday: Torso (chest and back)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Session B
Friday: Off
Saturday: Arms/shoulders
Sunday: Off
Perform this program until you've completed each of the three
sessions, four times.