Did you see Ben Wallace’s monster block on Randy Foye? What about his huge block on Shaq in the 2005 NBA Playoffs?

If there’s one thing Big Ben is good at besides rebounding, it’s shot blocking.

“I wanted to pass like Magic, jump like Mike, shoot like Bird and cover the ball like Zeke. But none of that worked. So I decided to play defense and rebound.” – Ben Wallace

In his prime, the center/forward averaged over 15 rebounds and 3 blocks in 39 minutes per game (2002-03)!

Ok, the guy is already 33 years old, so his numbers are declining if not in free fall.

But did you know that the four-time Defensive Player of the Year once had a 39-inch vertical? Or that his actual height is 6ft 7in and not 6ft 9in (listed at)?

So what did he do to achieve such an impressive vertical? Let’s take a look at his training:

Monday and Thursday (chest, arms, abs):

Bench press: 8 sets, 8 reps

Triceps Press: 6 sets, 12 reps

DB lying triceps extension: 6 sets, 12 reps

DB Flye: 6 sets, 10 reps

BB Curls: 6 sets, 12 reps

Curl Db: 6 sets, 12 reps

Tuesday and Friday (legs, shoulders, back):

leg extension: 5 sets, 20 reps

leg press: 5 sets, 20 reps

leg curls: 5 sets, 20 reps

calf raises: 5 sets, 20 reps

Lat pull down: 6 sets, 8-10 reps

Machine Shoulder Press: 6 sets, 10 reps

DB shoulder press: 6 sets, 10 reps

incline row: 6 sets, 10 reps

As you can see, it is a lot of work to maintain such a dominant body. Now you don’t have to copy Big Ben’s workout if you just want to improve your vertical jump. Actually, the combination of weight training and jumping jacks may be the most effective of all:

You can try these exercises with weights 2 times a week (ie Monday and Thursday, but only if

you play basketball regularly and your legs are already relatively strong):

1. Squats – 3 sets x 10

2. Calf raises – 3 sets x 10

3. Leg press – 3 sets x 10

4. Leg Extensions – 2 sets x 20

5. Lunges – 3 sets x 10

Additionally you can try these jumping exercises (also 2 times a week, i.e. Tuesday and Friday):

1. Squat jumps – 2 sets x 75

2. Chair jumps – 2 sets x 30

3. Depth jumps – 2 sets x 15

4. Box jumps – 2 sets x 20

For more exercises and crucial things to know about vertical jumping (like why what you don’t do is often more important than what you do), check out this page I highly recommend: http://www. howtodunk.org