VertiMax Field Training Exercises For Track and Field Events

VertiMax training equipment helps track athletes improve quickness, power and endurance in any field event. Track field athletes require an excellent combination of strength, speed, and power to excel in jumping and throwing competitions. VertiMax equipment solutions offer highly effective options to quickly develop upper and lower body reactive power for field events requiring explosive movements. Implementing these Vertimax exercises in the track field athlete's training program will dramatically increase explosive leg jumping  power and throwing speed to radically elevate athletic ability for field events.

Use VertiMax To Jump Higher And Further For Track And Field Events 

Jumping performance is an essential component of a good portion of track and field events. A few of these events include:

• Long jump
• Triple jump
• High jump
• Pole vaulting

Events that involve jumping require incredibly high amounts of force production in the lower legs. Further, athletes will need increased neuromuscular activation in their legs as the events also incorporate a running aspect as well. This increased efficiency allows the athlete to produce more force in less time. This makes VertiMax ideal for jumping events as the ability to increase jump height and distance is one of it’s most specific purposes. It has eve been proven to increase vertical jump height in scientific studies!

When considering force production, it helps to realize that there are two directions to address; vertical and horizontal. The main concepts are similar but training for specificity can have a significant impact on your success. Here are a few VertiMax training exercises that will definitely increase your jumping ability for either one.

Checkout these different VertiMax jumping and bounding drills that 3X Olympic Medalist, Will Claye, performs in one of his training sessions. 

Vertical Force Production Exercises 

Vertical force production will primarily benefit those who compete in the high jump and pole vaulting. High jump obviously requires the athlete to be able to jump as high as possible. In pole vaulting, the more force production an athlete can use to propel themselves off the ground will allow them to reach the full height with no issues.

Here are some great exercises to use with high jump training and pole vault training.

1. Resisted Jumps: Resisted jumps are merely jumping while under some type of resistance of some type. Doing these with VertiMax is superior as you are also able to involve arm force which is vital to increasing total force production.
2. Depth Jumps: Depth jumps are perhaps the best exercise to improve force production of the stretch-shortening cycle. The exercise involves an athlete stepping off a box. Upon landing on the ground, they immediately propel themselves into the air. The added resistance from VertiMax increases the need of explosive force from the lower body. In fact, without using VertiMax, this exercise is difficult to perform using resistance.
3. Running Vertical Jump: Even when performing the high jump, the athlete will start with a run-up and then jump off one leg. This high jump training exercise simply mimics this movement. Here is a short video so that you can see VertiMax being used in a real athletic setting.
   
   

Horizontal Force Production Exercises 

Horizontal force production is going to have more benefits for the long jump and broad jump athlete. This is because instead of jumping high, these athletes want to propel themselves as far down the track as they can. Here are some of the best training exercises to use VertiMax with to increase performance in these sports.

1. Broad Jumps: Broad jumps are vital for being able to produce horizontal power. This is especially important for events such as the long jump and triple jump when athletes must propel themselves horizontally rather than vertically.
2. Bounds: Bounds is when an athlete performs single-leg jumps horizontally in succession. There are two ways to do these. The first is for the athlete to only one leg, and the second is for the athlete to alternate legs as they move down the track. The main purpose of bounds is to increase the neuromuscular efficiency of the lower body and feet so that the athlete can propel themselves farther with minimal contact time. This an effective exercise for all track and field events but perhaps most specific to the triple jump.
3. Leap Frog (Repeated Broad Jumps): Leap frogs are simply broad jumps that are performed in succession. The critical thing to remember is that the athlete performs zero movement in between jumps. The athlete can repeat this as many times as desired but should remain under 10 jumps. In order to make power training most effective, you do not want the athlete to become fatigued

Speed Training For Field Jumping Events

If you want to jump farther, you need to improve the force production of your lower body. However, your run-up speed also plays a huge factor. For pole vaulting, for every 1m/s you can run, you’ll be able to jump approximately 0.5m farther. This same association with increased speed and farther jump distance is also found in the long jump and triple jump. No worries as you can train every aspect of athletic ability with the VertiMax training tool.  

• Resisted Sprints:  Resisted sprints with VertiMax are the most specific exercise to increase your speed for these events. A track and field athlete needs to increase speed quickly, which requires enhanced acceleration. No problem, as resisted sprints have been found to be one of the best training exercises for this. With VertiMax, you are also able to place a load on the arms and legs for an increased neural drive.

Full Body Exercises To Increase Throwing Distance 

Throwing events require high levels of neuromuscular control to produce high amounts of force in a short time to propel an object. This makes creating explosive power the number one priority. It’s obvious that a track and field athlete needs to train his upper body for these events. However, developing power in the lower extremities has also been found to be vital as well. These events are actually full-body movements that require the upper body to propel the object and the lower body to “push”.

Exercises To Increase Leg Power For Throwing Events

Leg power can add to the overall propulsion, drive, and push from the body. On average, lifter can lift about 30% more weight when using their legs during a push press when compared to a strict overhead press. Even though these events use the upper body to throw the implement, do not underestimate the power that powerful legs can add.

• Box Jumps: Box jumps are a classic training exercise to improve power production of the lower body. VertiMax makes them even better by adding that load for extra muscle activation. Specific to track and field throwing events, VertiMax can be attached to the arms during this exercise. This will increase the power production of the arms in a synchronized movement with the lower body. Doing so will improve the athlete’s neuromuscular system, which is the body's way for the muscles to “talk” to each other. This can have huge benefits for a full body movement such as throwing events. 

Exercises To Increase Trunk Power For Throwing Events

The trunk plays a huge part when an athlete throws an implement. Explosive trunk rotation is involved in every single throwing event. Not only must it be strong enough to transfer the power of the legs to the upper body, but it can also add to the overall generated force. Here are some amazing exercises to increase an athlete’s ability to increase the power in their trunk rotation.

• Wood Choppers: Woodchoppers are great for increasing the strength and power of the core to generate maximal force. Have an athlete stand with their arms out straight. VertiMax can be attached to their arms and the side of the hip facing VertiMax. The athlete then maintains straight arms and swings the arms forward in a swinging motion, much like a wood chop. The athlete can perform vertical wood chops, descending wood chops, and mid-level wood chops.
• Hip Swings: Similar to wood chops but focuses on the hips. Attach Vertimax to the hips on the side closest to Vertimax. Then have the athlete perform powerful hip swings by bringing the hips to a horizontal position.

Arm Power For Throwing Events

Last but not least, a track and field athlete who competes in throwing events must have the ability to generate excessive force and speed with their arms. The upper body is what ultimately throws the implement into the air. 

• Simulated Throws: This is simply performing the movement of the throw under a load provided by VertiMax. Because VertiMax allows freedom of movement, track and field athletes are able to perform their real throwing movement, whether it’s a throwing motion with a javelin or pushing motion with a shot put. 
• Ball Slams or Throws: Ball slams and throws are some of the best movements to increase the upper body's force production. These types of movements are used on the elite and collegiate level to improve the performance of throwing events. However, when used with VertiMax, athletes get the added resistance on the muscles rather than just throwing the ball. This stimulus improves these exercises in a way that was unavailable before.

Check out one of our athletes taking full advantage of VertiMax with her shot put training. Notice she has connected VertiMax to one side of her waist to improve the force produced by the hips. She then has VertiMax attached to her throwing arm to increase force output.

How VertiMax Works To Improve Field Events

VertiMax has revolutionized the world of sports strength and conditioning with its intelligent design. Its effectiveness comes from the use of multiple resistance cords that can be attached to various parts of the body; the waist, legs, and arms. It uses a system of pulleys then provides constant tension no matter how much the cord is pulled. This is drastically different from similar training methods which use resistance bands whose resistance increases as the band stretches.

This genius design allows VertiMax to train athletes with a load while allowing free movement. This means that track and field athletes are able to perform biomechanically similar movements while under a load! This is the optimal method for increasing neuromuscular efficiency to produce higher force output and more power.

VetiMax was explicitly designed with the athlete in mind as a way to increase their ability of power production with the ability for it to be directly translated into improved athletic performance.