Over half of all VertiMax products sold are bought for at home use by parents with youth athletes, averaging 13 years of age. V-Series platform systems are typically used in the garage or on a driveway. Two wheels attached to the platform allow it to be easily rolled from its storage position against a wall, to the location you wish to use it. The 17 lb. portable Raptor system is designed to attach to fences or suitable walls using the slotted keyholes on the back side of the Raptor. A light weight portable Raptor Support System is also available to support the Raptor and quickly roll your training setup to any desired training location around the home or local field.

We currently have athletes as young as 8 years old using the VertiMax. The resistance bands that are installed on VertiMax are customized to suit the user’s age and athletic abilities. Resistance on each band type is adjustable to suit each user’s needs.  Minimum resistance levels can be set as low as 2 lbs, which is suitable for younger athletes. We recommend that athletes under 14 years of age be supervised by an adult when training on VertiMax equipment.

There are many useful exercises that adolescents can conduct on VertiMax to enhance athletic abilities and reduce the probability of a sports injury, without ever jumping or leaving the platform surface. Our website will allow you to view multiple stabilization and core training exercises that will help young athletes gain better neuromuscular control of their bodies, while increasing basic strength.  This improves athletic performance at any level!

The speed at which results are noticed, or measured, vary with every athlete. Typically, you will see vertical jump improvements and reductions in 40 times- in as little as two to four weeks.

Although they may look a little intimidating, VertiMax products are actually very simple to use!  Very rarely do we receive calls asking about how the products are used (even from inexperienced parents with young children).  We have ongoing education and training material available, as well as a certification course.

The ‘VertiMax Training Certification Course’ we have available delivers the product knowledge, coaching knowledge, and skills needed to effectively and safely utilize our product line while training athletes and clients in universal training.   Check out our Education tab and become a Master Trainer today!

We have so many pro and college teams using VertiMax, not because it’s complicated, because it works! Even though our products are used by half of the major professional teams and over 70% of D1 universities; the VertiMax products are not just for pro teams, colleges, and high schools. Most of our customers are parents purchasing VertiMax units for their children, more than any other customer group.   

Typically, your VertiMax will ship via FedEx Freight within 3-5 business days of placing your order and arrive within 7-10 business days.  You will have access to a tracking number to locate your VertiMax equipment and/or accessories.

No assembly is required! You can take both the VertiMax V-Series and Raptor right out of the box and put them to use. The wheels which enable you to tilt the V-Series on its side and roll it, are attached to the unit facing inward when the unit arrives.  If you wish to use the rolling feature you will need to reverse both wheel brackets so the wheels face outward. This is a simple process that can be complete in a few minutes using a Phillips head screwdriver and crescent wrench. The Raptor Portable Mounting Device does require some minor assembly.  It comes with a complete set of instructions, and takes most individuals 20-30 minutes to assemble.  The VertiMax App has free videos to help familiarize you with set-up and maintenance of the  V8 and Raptors! 

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The colors indicate how thick the resistance band is. A thicker band will apply a higher minimum and maximum resistance levels compared to a thinner band. Customers can select from one of these three different band colors or diameters when purchasing a Raptor unit.

• Red – Indicates a band diameter of 1/4” with a minimum resistance setting of about 4 lbs and a maximum resistance setting of approximately 8 lbs.
• Blue - Indicates a band diameter of 5/16” with a minimum resistance setting of about 8 lbs and a maximum resistance setting of approximately 16 lbs.
• Gray - Indicates a band diameter of 3/8” with a minimum resistance setting of about 12 lbs and a maximum resistance setting of approximately 24 lbs.                                                              

The V8 and V8 EX are functionally the same system.  Every drill you can perform on a V8 EX you can perform on a V8. The difference is the four V8 EX topside bands that you can train off-platform, are twice as long as the V8 topside bands. This means on a V8 EX an athlete can train 25 yards away from the platform versus 10 yards on a V8 platform.

The longer training distance our V8 EX offers, allows the athlete to reach much higher resisted training speeds.  The ability to train at higher velocities with consistent resistance, will stimulate the athlete’s neurological and muscular systems to work collectively.  This will help develop more output power at higher speeds, which is commonly referred to as “Speed Strength”. If you are looking at improving top end speed, the V8 EX provides a significant advantage over the V8 due to higher achievable resisted training velocities.

Up to 5 athletes can train on a V8 or V8 EX platform at one time. Four athletes can be hooked up around the perimeter of the systems and train off-platform, while a fifth athlete standing on the platform can conduct resisted jump training.

A standard jump training workout can be completed in under 5 minutes.  All of our equipment include training programs for vertical jump, strength, and speed training exercises.  These typically take 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the level of training/age of the athlete).

For “off season training” a minimum of two training sessions a week should be attempted. Optimally, for higher level athletes three-four times a week will provide better performance enhancements. For “in season training” VertiMax V-Series should be used a minimum of once a week and optimally two-three times a week.

Plyometrics involves leaping and bounding, and is similar to VertiMax jump training. However, VertiMax V-Series has two major advantages over plyometrics:

1. VertiMax V-Series is more efficient at developing power at high speeds because it allows athletes to apply additional loads to their bodies that have NO MASS. With the added loads/resistance, the athlete’s muscles are further stimulated to strengthen and produce more power.  Which goes hand in hand with our primary goal to improve explosive jumping power. With conventional plyometrics, athletes only use their own body weight as resistance.  Since the resistance of their body weight is essentially the same every time they jump train, there is no added stimulus or reason for their muscles to become more powerful.  If you walked into a gym and bench pressed the same exact weight every set, every day, how much would you expect your bench press to improve over time? Not much! In a very short time period your strength gains will stagnate because your body has adapted to a fixed resistance (fixed body weight) and has no further stimulus (additional resistance) to promote strength development. You are going to peak out and your performance gains are going to stagnate – that is a major disadvantage performing traditional plyometric training without the add-on resistive capabilities that VertiMax does offer!
2. We often forget that half the speed equation is the swing phase, or the ability to accelerate the foot when it breaks contact with the ground and reaches for the next step or “ground strike”. The three muscle groups that accelerate the foot through the air for the next step are the hip flexors (linear motion), abductors and adductors (lateral motion).  Athletes rarely train these muscles dynamically for power development to promote speed gains. Unfortunately, 95% of the time athletes are only training the drive phase and neglect swing phase power development. This will unfortunately result in a lot of undeveloped speed potential. If you want to effectively develop power behind an athletes drive and swing phase for maximum speed performance gains, there’s only one system in the world that can do it – VertiMax.

You can use VertiMax on weight lifting days – even leg days. However, VertiMax V-Series training should be conducted before any heavy leg work, so that way your legs are not fatigued when you train on VertiMax.  If the muscles you are training are already fatigued when you get on the system, your training response will be diminished. It is also okay to use VertiMax equipment on non-weight lifting days, as long as you are not sore and recuperating from a workout done on the previous day.  Key word is MAXIMUM; VertiMax training is the most beneficial when each repetition is performed with maximum effort at maximum speed.

All mechanical parts have a one-year warranty. The one-year warranty also includes soft items such as the suction cups and body harnesses. Top side resistance bands (5&6, 7&8) have a 6-month warranty, bottom side resistance bands (1&2, 3&4) have a one-year warranty as well. The landing mat was designed by the USA jump rope association and is designed to last for three to four years of heavy use. We cannot control the foot gear athletes use while training on the system, therefore the mat has no warranty.

The VertiMax V-Series platforms are 6 feet by 4 feet with a 4 foot by 4 foot landing mat (approx. 16 square feet). The V8 weighs 145 lbs and the V8 EX weighs 157 lbs.

The required ceiling height will be a function of the athlete’s height and the maximum height they can jump with the minimum resistance setting. Optimally, the athlete should not be able to hit the ceiling with their hands when jumping on the platform WITHOUT resistance bands attached to their waist. Since the top of the VertiMax V-Series landing mat rests approximately 5 inches above the ground, if you leap with maximum force (un-resisted) and your hands don’t touch the ceiling you will be okay using VertiMax V-Series in that room. Typically, 9 foot ceilings are sufficient for most athletes as long as they ONLY jump on the platform when resistance bands are connected to the waist; which will dramatically reduce the height of their leap.

VertiMax platforms are constructed with shock absorbing suction cups on every leg that soften landings.  This then keeps the unit secured to smooth surfaces such as: wood, terrazzo, cement or rubberized weight room floors. If you use the VertiMax platform on porous surfaces such as carpet, we have designed four weight plate receptacles underneath the unit.  These will allow you to attach up to four 10 pound or 25 pound plates to the underside of the unit. The weights will keep the unit grounded on any porous surface.

Each unit has two wheels built into the edge of the platform, this allows for a single person to lift the unit onto the side and simply roll it away. The units are designed to completely fit into the back of a standard size SUV with rear seat folded down.

The Raptor has two 43 foot bands inside the unit, while the Raptor EX has a single 86 foot band inside the unit. Since the Dual Raptor has two bands, you can load an athlete at two independent locations on their body or train two athletes simultaneously by attaching one band to each person. The Raptor EX band (86 ft.) is twice as long as the Raptor’s bands (43 ft.). The increased training range makes the Raptor EX a more efficient choice for athletes such as sprinters, who are often interested in improving top end speed and need to run farther with a load to achieve higher resisted training velocities. If you want to load an athlete during open field drills, typically a Raptor EX is a better choice due to the extended loading range it offers. However, it is important to note that the Raptor EX having only one band can only train a single athlete at a time vs the Raptor which can provide multi-point loading or the ability to train two athletes at a time.

Both Raptor and Raptor EX models are lightweight and mobile - designed to be portable with multiple attachment options.  You can attach the units to chain link fences, walls, and portable support systems.

1. Chain Link Fence Mounting - All Raptor models come with four attachment straps that allow you to quickly attach the unit to appropriately stable chain link fences.
2. Cement or Cinder Block Wall Mounting - Mounting plates with four attachment studs are available which can be attached to cement or cinder block walls. Keyhole slots on the back side of each Raptor unit allow you to quickly attach the Raptor unit to the mounting plate by placing the Raptor’s keyhole slots over the four mounting studs on the mounting plate and sliding the Raptor to the left or right and then locking the Raptor in place with a locking pin. The use of the keyholes allows you to quickly detach the Raptor from the mounting plate if you want to use the Raptor somewhere else.
3. Our portable Raptor Mounting Device folds up and can fit in the trunk of a car or back of an SUV.  This can also be used to attach up to 3 Raptors for single or multi-athlete training. Once deployed, two wheels on the support system allow the setup to be tilted and easily rolled to any preferred training location. Rubber boots installed on the support system legs protect surfaces such as wood basketball courts or any surface that is susceptible to scratching.

Both the Raptor and Raptor EX models weigh approximately 17 lb.

Each Raptor unit currently comes with a 360 degree training belt with two “D” rings attached. The belt will allow athletes to freely turn 360 degrees while attached to the Raptor units without causing any cord entanglements. Other accessory items such as hand grips, ankle straps, wrist straps and waist belts can be purchased separately (click the Shop tab located on menu bar).

The dual band Raptor unit can be used for vertical jump training, if the padded waist belt accessory is purchased with the unit. Broad jumping can be performed with either the Raptor or Raptor EX utilizing the 360 degree belt accessory included with the Raptor purchase.

The dual band Raptor unit can train two athletes at once since it has two individual and independent training bands. The Raptor EX having one elongated band at 86 feet long, provides a single training band option and thus can only train one athlete at a time.

Both Raptor models do not have a permanent attachment means. Whether they are attached to a wall, fence or Raptor support system, Raptors are always removable from their support structure.

Vertical jump training on a V-Series platform will provide better vertical jump performance improvements than utilizing a dual band Raptor unit for a few reasons. First, the most efficient way to fully develop explosive power when resistance training, is to put forth maximum effort on each repetition and achieve maximum velocity on each resisted repetition. The V-Series platform allows the athlete to position themselves such that the bands are pulling straight down into the tracking devices so that the resistance is pulling straight down on the athlete just like gravity.

Since the V8 platform effectively simulates increased resistance, (keeping resistance pointed straight towards the ground) athletes can jump with maximum effort and reach maximum training velocities for the given resistance.  This is because they are completely balanced throughout the jump. This in turn creates a maximum efficiency rep for developing explosive power. There are no horizontal forces acting on the athlete to destabilize them and pull them off balance. If humans are off balance, their brain will sense the instability and not allow jumping with maximum effort because otherwise there will be an extremely high probability of falling upon landing and injury occurrence.

When jump training with a dual band Raptor the resistance bands will be anchored directly under the Raptor unit and the athlete must stand in front of the Raptor. That means the two resistance bands when attached to the athlete will be coming off the waist belt at an angle back to the Raptor. The slight angle will create a resistance downward and backward as opposed to straight down resistance applied by the V-Series platform. This slight angle creates a slight horizontal load which the athlete can jump with. However, it causes them to jump with less than 100 percent effort because they have to divert energy to compensate for the slight horizontal load to maintain stability when jumping. While still beneficial, this effect causes a decrease in the effectiveness of the training response for explosive power development as it relates to vertical jumping.

Secondly, the V8 platform systems allow you to connect up to 8 bands to one athlete for vertical jump training and thus can apply a maximum of about 200 lbs of loading for vertical jump training vs about 60 lbs from a dual band Raptor strung with the thickest most powerful bands available. Thus, the greater loading capability of the V-Series platform allows for greater development of absolute leg strength vs the Raptor.  For these two reasons, if your primary goal is to maximally develop an athlete’s vertical jump potential, the platform system is a better solution. The Raptor becomes a more attractive solution for improving sports mobility such as: developing acceleration, deceleration, and associated agility on the horizontal plane; along with increasing top end speed.