Jumpsoles Product Review

Written by Jack Woodrup for VerticalJumping.com

Jumpsoles are an institution in the world of vertical jump training. They have been around for a long time and have helped many people improve their jumping ability. However, Jumpsoles are not without their critics. Some people claim that it is just the training that causes the vertical improvements. Other people claim they are dangerous and can cause injuries. To find out our thoughts on this icon of vertical training read on.

What Are They?

For those unfamiliar with them they are essentially a platform that straps onto the front of your regular training shoes. This forces your calves to do more of the work. The idea is that this raised position makes your calf muscles and Achilles tendon more springy and powerful.

Our Training Experiences

For the most part we found the Jumpsoles to be quite fun to train in. Certainly with the 2 leg jumping exercises this was the case.

However, when we wore them for single leg jumping exercises they felt heavy, cumbersome, and quite frankly awkward. This was a real drawback for us as we prefer the single leg drills such as the 123 Jump, as we believe they provide greater benefits to not only vertical jump, but for sprinting and other sports related movements as well.

Proprioceptors: The Only Really Beneficial Use of Jumpsole

If the training experiences mentioned so far were all the Jumpsoles had to offer, we probably wouldn't recommend buying them (as it is we actually STILL don't recommend buying them). However, the addition of the proprioceptor plugs certianly adds to their value.

What difference does a few small few rubber plugs make? A lot of highly respected coaches such as Paul Chek get very excited about the benefits of training in unstable environments. Instability really forces you to recruit extra muscles to stabilize your joints and body. Training with Jumpsoles and proprioceptor plugs creates such an environment.

In the same way that barbell squats are better than the machine versions because of the way they recruit more muscle fibers, we found the Jumpsoles + proprioceptor plug version of exercises such as the split squat, lunge, step up and weighted jump squats, added to both the difficulty and effectiveness of our workouts.

In fact, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that the real value of the Jumpsoles lies in using them in conjunction with the plugs in the weight room rather than out on the track for plyometrics.

We wouldn't suggest using them for strength work with the big compound lifts such as deadlifts and squats, but for the single leg, and more explosive movements, they can certainly add a new tool to your training regime.

As a word of warning, you will need to drop the weights you have been using, but as you recruit the extra muscles and improve your balance and joint stability your vertical will see improvements.

Try This Simple But Effective Jumpsoles Workout

Unilateral training requires more balance and recruits more muscles to act as stabilizers. After a while your muscles and body will adapt to the type of training and you will get quite good at the single leg exercises.

To make these exercises that little bit harder, and to quickly improve the strength of your knee and ankle stabilizer muscles, try this simple Jumpsoles + propriocptor plug workout. We call it the 4X workout and whilst it looks fairly easy, it is a killer. It can be done 2-3 times per week with 60-90 seconds rest between sets. When doing this workout, and any workout for that matter, choose a weight that is heavy enough to challenge you over the prescribed number of reps, but not too heavy as to force you to sacrifice good technique and form.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Split Squats	4	4 each leg
Travelling Lunges	4	4 steps each leg
High Step Ups	4	4 each leg
Single Leg Over Head Medicine Ball Throws	4	4 each leg

 

Figure 1.1 and 1.2: Jumpsoles + Proprioceptor Plug Split Squats

Figure 2.1 and 2.2: Jumpsoles + Proprioceptor Plug High Step Ups



Figure 3.1 and 3.2: Jumpsoles + Proprioceptor Plug Travelling Lunges

One final, yet very important point to remember about training on unstable environments such as the Jumpsoles/Proprioceptor plugs is that like all training techniques there is a downside.

In this case the downside is that you cannot use anywhere near the same amount of weight. If you train this way exclusively the benefits you obtain from increased balance and stabilization will be more than negatively offset by your loss in strength (this is very bad).

As such we would only suggest you train with this method if you already have a high levels of strength, or in conjunction with some form of regular strength training.

The Big question: Do They Work?

We believe they do and they don't. As is the case will jump training aids, you will improve your vertical by simply doing the training without the Jumpsoles. I don't think we saw any quicker gains from using them in our plyometrics than if we had just trained in our Springboost B-Trains, but when they were incorporated with the proprioceptor plugs into some of our weights work, they clearly had a carry over effect to our jumping and sports performance.

What About Those Injury Claims

We can't speak for everybody but we never found that they caused injury in our training. That said we do also take certain precautions. When we wear them for plyometrics we only ever train on grass or for low impact work, and we never do depth or drop jumps in them. Those exercises are hard enough already.

Further to this, and we know we have already talked up the proprioceptors a lot already, but consistent training with these will IMPROVE your knee, ankle, and hip stability, which should actually DECREASE the likelihood of injuring yourself.

Jump training is very hard on your body. If you over do it, Jumpsoles or not, you will injure yourself. Like all our vertical training methods we use some form of periodization. If you were to use them we would suggest cycling their use into short 2-4 week periods, followed by a period of equal or longer duration of non use.

Conclusion

Jumpsoles are an interesting training tool whose real benefit isn't in their application to plyometric training, but rather making certain exercises more difficult. Whilst we certainly enjoy training in them when doing weighted work we wouldn't highly recommend this product. It is ok, it works, but really, they aren't that great. If you are feeling game give them a try. Otherwise you can find out more information from Jump USA themselves by clicking on the Jump USA logo below: