A couple of summers ago, Kobe Bryant changed his exercise program to get stronger, just like Michael Jordan back in the day. Kobe gained 6-7lbs of muscle (he’s now 220lbs), slowed down a bit, but still managed to maintain, if not increase, his vertical jump! So how was that?
Let’s take a look at his weight training schedule: it’s a 6 days a week, 1 hour a day workout. The full program consists of weight training plus 2 hours of running, 2 hours of basketball and 1 hour of cardio a day!
Day 1 and Day 4:
bench press
lat pull downs
incline press
military press
ABS
Day 2 and Day 5:
Dumbbell Lateral Raises
bar dips
triceps press
bicep curls
ABS
Day 3 and Day 6:
Back Squats/Front Squats
leg curls
leg extensions
calf raises
As you can see, days 1, 2, 4, and 5 are all about building upper body strength. Days 3 and 6 are all about lower body which gives you the power you need to jump really high.
Focusing on lowering his body fat percentage (less than 10%) allowed Kobe to save some weight that he actually gained by building muscle. In addition to exercise (running, cardio), following a good diet plan (eg, avoiding fat in the foods you eat, eating plenty of protein, eating red meat only once a week, drinking plenty of water as well) is crucial.
Now, last summer (2007), before playing for Team USA, he lost almost 20 pounds. (now 205 pounds) to get his quickness back and also worked on his vertical.