I wanted to get some members opinion on these. Anyone ever use this apparatus? Does it produce noticeable gains? Or is it just another over priced and unecessary training gizmo?
Thanks
Is there any benefit I get from tying myself to the ground with rubbercords I can’t get by wearing a weighted vest?
One possible benefit would be that of the acceleration provided on the eccentric by the cords.
Sounds like a greater risk of injury! Why would you want to be accelerated to the ground?
I have used the vertimax before and ended up with nothing but sore knees. For athletes that already include a lot of jumping and sprinting in their respective sports, one has to ask the benefit of adding in a device like the vertimax.
From what I understand about athletic force development, where you’d rather be able to produce force quickly is in more of a stretched or flexed position of the joints. If you can produce a greater “impulse” of force in these less mechanically advantaged positions, than you can use the momentum to carry you through the rest of the motion. The vertimax and other similar devices do not improve your power and explosiveness in this way. I’d rather just give people full squats, deadlitfs, and the power and full versions of the olympic lifts to get better results.
We have used the Vertimax for the last 7 years and have never had one problem with injuries. We don’t use it all the time but as a an option for various types of training. We don’t use it when we are going hard with sprints or any other types of plyo’s but rather during those nasty northwest winter months. I have had a 4’10 high school boy high jumper increase his vertical jump from 20 to 36 and win a state title at 6’10". I have several stories similiar to that, and I feel that thevertimax was a definate contributor to their success and improvement. Was it the only thing…no absolutely not, but I really feel it made a positive contribution.
Just my two cents.
Just bumping up an old topic.
Anyone else have comments on this device?
Couldn’t the same increased eccentric acceleration to the ground be accomplished with a weight belt and putting a jump stretch band through the belt and the ends around your feet? Not to mention that this method doesn’t lead to being stuck in the “groove” that the bands of the Vertimax might force you into.
I’ve read that the WSB guys have done this for box jumps. Plus, jumpstretch bands cost tens of dollars while I’m sure a Vertimax thing is in the hundreds.
I have personally have never used this device, I like sticking to my a weight vest or ankle weights myself, I think this device would be too taxing on the joints and my knees are less than capable of putting up with any hard pounding.
However back in high school I remember many people having marked success using the device and no injuries related to the device that I can recall.
Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
In a similar vein: I had a good laugh when Charles Foster at Clemson said in the fall that he would no longer have his athletes squat but instead use that plyometric leg press device (forget what it’s called…PlyoSled?).
Then Padgett ran 10.00 as a freshman and I stopped laughing.
I have had to teach this before at a previous job. Personally I think it is worthless. It teaches the kids to be slow exploding up off of toe of (not fast) and it usually jars them on the landing. Again, this is just my opinion.
They try to market the crap out of it. I heard a story from a head NFL strength coach. He told me that they called another head nfl guy and asked him if he’d like one for free. The guy said sure, with no real intention to use it (and he never did). The following month, while flipping through a journal he saw an add that said that they used it.
Anything that has to use that type of marketing probably isn’t that great.
Junk! Get a weightvest if anything.