Brutally Honest Vert Shock Review: Is It Worth It In 2022?
Hey, before you start reading, I want to give you a quick heads up that the post you are about to read is a bit longer. I won’t mind if you skim over it.
But, if you want to understand my experience with this vertical jump program and learn how you can make the most out of it, I would recommend reading the whole Vert Shock review!
If you are already familiar with Vert Shock and its structure and workouts, you can start reading here!
Table of Contents
My Background Story
Years ago, when I was younger and had no money or knowledge about vertical jumping, I tried to create workouts independently. I hoped that I could improve my vertical leap and finally dunk.
I’ve spent more than two years overtraining my muscles and injuring myself several times. Later I realized that my approach was delusional and led me nowhere.
After two years of struggle with my makeshift workouts, I only added about 4 inches to my vertical jump.
Looking back and considering the knee pain I developed during this time (which became unbearable at some point), as well as breaking my left ankle, made me realize it wasn’t worth it. I had to learn the hard way that creating my own workouts doesn’t work.
All the struggle I went through was because I became obsessed with dunking. I needed about 8 inches to dunk, and I wanted to get them as fast as possible. Back then, in my mind, more work equaled faster results (which couldn’t be more wrong).
In December 2016, after months of disappointment, failure, and pain, I had enough money saved to get Vert Shock. Around this time, I recovered from my ankle injury and was ready for a new challenge. I decided to get it, and the rest is history.
Here is my experience with VertShock and how I made the most of it!
- Height – 5′11″
- Age – 20 (when I did Vert Shock in 2016)
- Standing Reach – 7′10″
- Vert when I started – 24″
- Vert needed to dunk – 32″
(This is me in 2016)
What Is Vert Shock?
Vert Shock is a unique 2-month training program that focuses on improving your vertical leap.
The program guarantees a 9-15 inch improvement in the vertical jump in only eight weeks. This promise sounded exactly like those “Click here and earn money while you sleep” types of ads.
On the other hand, the website appeared to be highly professional, providing a 60-day money-back guarantee. This assured me that I had nothing to lose.
Who Created Vert Shock?
Adam Folker and Justin “Jus Fly” Darlington are the co-creators of Vert Shock. Adam is a former professional basketball player, and Justin is one of the world’s best and most renowned dunkers.
They have an excellent reputation due to their collaborations with various basketball stars. Thus I had pretty high expectations from this vertical jump program.
(Adam with Kobe)
How Does Vert Shock Work?
The program is based on the concepts of high-intensity advanced plyometrics performed in such a manner that the neurological response from a specific set of muscles is maximized.
Your Type II muscle fibers, often known as fast-twitch muscles, are what I’m talking about.
The idea is to enable these muscles to activate very quickly and become more engaged in the process so you can jump higher, faster, and with more force.
How Do You Get Access to Vert Shock?
After completing the transaction, you will receive your login information for the member’s section. Here you’ll find the 8-week jump program and various bonus helpful resources.
Some of the extra content includes:
- Nutrition checklist
- Dunk “hacks”
- Maintenance program
- “Jump Like Justin” program
- At-home basketball drills and workouts
I’d include everything here, but the member’s area is updated frequently, so you should visit the official site and check it out.
The workout instruction videos and printable program worksheets are the most significant sections. They’ll explain to you the exercises you have to do, when to do them, and how to do them right.
How Is Vert Shock Structured?
The 8-week program is split into three parts:
Pre-Shock Phase
The first week of the program is known as the Pre-Shock phase. This preliminary part of the program will test your body’s limits and prepare you for the program’s upcoming weeks. You will have to work six out of seven days. On day 4, you take a break.
Shock Phase
The Shock Phase lasts from weeks 2 to 7 and is the program’s core, with 4-6 sessions each week.
These workouts include the following:
- Leg and core strength exercises
- Jumping-specific routines
- Intensive plyometric exercises
Post-Shock Phase
The Post Shock Phase starts in week 8. It’s a week filled with six tough training sessions and only one day off.
Warm-ups are crucial after seven weeks of training. That is because you will probably feel stiff and sore.
The Vert Shock Exercises and Workouts
Pre-Shock phase workouts
The Pre-Shock phase aims to get your body ready for the upcoming weeks.
When you look at the workout plan, the workouts won’t seem too hard or too long. But in reality… I felt like my muscles were getting zapped from the beginning of this program.
However, this most likely happened because I had just recovered from an injury and didn’t have time to get back in shape.
There are good chances that you will get sore during this phase but don’t worry; this is how your body reacts to plyometrics if you haven’t done them before.
You might believe that there’s no way you can endure training like that any longer, but that won’t be the case. I’ll offer more advice on this later in the article, so keep reading.
Shock phase workouts
The Shock Phase, the program’s most significant and crucial part, will target your fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type IIB). These fast-twitch muscle fibers generate energy through anaerobic metabolism. They are the “traditional” fast-twitch muscle fibers and are the best at delivering short, intense bursts of speed.
It has the fastest rate of contraction of any muscle fiber type, but it also has the quickest rate of exhaustion and can’t go as long without resting.
The exercises are diverse. You’ll do deep squats (strength), sprints, planks (core stability), and depth jumps (explosiveness). Brace yourself cause you will sweat a bit.
You will soon realize why they call it the Shock Phase; if you haven’t by now. It’s all about intensity.
Before I go on, I need to tell you that each exercise should be performed at the highest intensity. This type of fiber I discussed earlier doesn’t get activated unless you force it to.
Essentially, our bodies use Type IIB fast-twitch fibers only as a last option. You will hardly build them if you exercise at a limited intensity level.
Post Shock phase exercises
The Post Shock Phase is quite like the first week in some aspects. You will work out six out of seven days for this last week of the program. This phase will fine-tune your jump and consolidate muscle memory.
All the prior week’s speed and strength gains come together. What’s the result? You’ll be able to jump higher than you’ve ever done before.
The exercises in this last phase consist of mostly jumps you’ve already done but with a greater rep count. Spoiler: You’ll perform close to 660 jumps in the last week. (Sounds insane, I know)
It will be tough for most people, mainly because you will feel like your jumping technique is fading at the end of each workout session. Even though it will be hard to get through this last week, it’s achievable, and you will reap many benefits.
The Truth About Vert Shock
Although eight weeks doesn’t seem like much, trust me, this vertical jump program will still require a lot of effort and dedication.
You will work out for 41 days out of 56 (8 weeks). I’m talking about serious physical activity, not just walking in the park.
My friends who did Vert Shock reported that they couldn’t stick to the whole program from start to finish, same as it happened with me. At first, I thought I was among the few who couldn’t always keep up with the pace. But after I heard others’ opinions, I realized I wasn’t the only one dealing with this.
Max rep count and amount of sets performed per muscle group vary from person to person. An athlete who trained for ten years every day doesn’t have the same workout as someone who started a year ago. Therefore we can’t expect Vert Shock to be a one-size-fits-all program.
Taking an extra day off to recover doesn’t necessarily mean you’re lazy. You should instead take a break day than get yourself hurt.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if you sometimes feel like you can’t follow the workout plan strictly. Do as much as your body is capable of doing.
My Vert Shock Experience
Before heading into the program, I measured my vertical jump and calculated the number of inches I’d need to dunk.
I can’t lie; my goal seemed hard to reach, considering I’m only 5′11″. My vertical wasn’t great either at about 24 inches (I couldn’t even grab the rim). This meant that a vertical jump of 32 inches would be required for me to dunk.
As a side note, there’s already a section dedicated to how to measure and track your progress inside Vert Shock. So I won’t go further into it.
Week 1. The Pre-Shock Phase
The first week of the program was very intense. At the end of the week, my legs felt like they’d been hit by a truck, and I’m not kidding.
It was my first time training legs so hard after recovering from the ankle injury. I had hopes that things would get better once I got used to it, though.
My jump was still the same (24 inches) by the end of the first week. This didn’t surprise me at all since my legs still felt heavy on the 7th day.
Week 2. Something Has Changed!
The second week marked a significant improvement in my vertical jump, motivating me to keep going. I got 3 inches in a matter of two weeks, and this made me believe I could reach my goal by the end of the program.
For a moment, I forgot about all the soreness in my legs and celebrated this small milestone like I was supposed to.
Week 5. The Next Big Milestone
Another three weeks went by, and I must admit that I had to take extra days off, especially during the 4th week. Because I was too fatigued or the workouts weren’t the most effective, I occasionally skipped certain exercises or performed fewer reps.
Nevertheless, my body started to get used to the workouts and recovered much faster after each session.
On one of my rest days (during week five), I went to the nearest indoor court in my hometown and tested my improved jump. I finally hung onto the rim and felt I wasn’t that far from getting my first dunk.
Believe me, so much excitement was flowing through my body at that moment that I nearly forgot about my dentist appointment (I still made it, though).
My vertical jump improved by another 3 inches between weeks two and five. This brought me 2 inches away (theoretically) from slamming my first dunk home.
Week 6. No More Gains?
Even though I was 2 inches short of hitting my objective, I knew these would be the hardest to get.
Here’s what I mean by that.
The first few inches were pretty easy to gain since I had a relatively low vertical jump before starting Vert Shock. The closer you get to your genetic ceiling, the more difficult it will be to add height to your jump.
I’m not saying I was close to reaching my maximum genetic potential yet, but I’m sure you get the point.
Unfortunately, week six didn’t bring any new improvement. I tried to keep myself clear-headed and focused on the program’s two final weeks, though.
Week 8. The Final Round
To keep myself focused on my objective until the end, I decided not to measure my jump at the end of week seven. Instead, I waited for the last day of this vertical jump program to see if I made it. This way, I’d ensure that I would work at the highest level possible until the end.
After finishing the last workout from the Post-Shock Phase plan, I waited for another day to fully recover. I did this to feel my new vertical jump at its full potential. I could barely wait to see my final results…
But before I jump into the details, let me say this. No matter if I could dunk, I was still very proud of myself anyway because of all the benefits I got from this program.
I played basketball competitively for a couple of years, but I’ve never been in such great shape. Vert Shock conditioned my body and made me much stronger and more explosive than I was before. Seeing how agile and springy I’ve become gave me more confidence when playing.
With all this being said, when the big moment arrived, I warmed up properly and attempted to dunk a tennis ball, a volleyball, and then a basketball, in this order.
The smaller-sized balls went in smoothly. The moment I noticed how high above the rim my hand reached when I jumped, I was almost sure that I’d make it with a basketball as well.
After weeks of hard work and sore legs, I managed to get my first dunk in!
Although it looked pretty crappy, it still meant a lot to me, and I was satisfied with my results. I started with an average vertical jump of only 24 inches and added 8 inches during these eight weeks of VertShock.
I can’t describe in words the feeling of accomplishment I had that day.
(My Vert Shock Progress)
What do You need to Know Before Trying Vert Shock?
This vertical jump program’s power lies in how its workouts are organized.
Vert Shock guarantees you will get between 9 and 15 inches with their vertical jump program. This is a very bold statement if you ask me.
In a previous paragraph, you probably noticed that I mentioned my vertical jump improvement from Vert Shock rounds up at 8 inches. One of my friends had a 25-inch vertical jump before giving Vert Shock a try, and he added 10 inches to his jump after completing it.
So as you can see, results can vary for each person depending on many factors such as:
- Training experience
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Recovery
- Previous injuries
- Age
- Self-discipline
- Genetics
Approach everything with a healthy level of skepticism and a growth mindset. This way, you will avoid falling into the trap of unrealistic expectations.
If you want to learn how to make the most out of Vert Shock, get my free guide that teaches what you need to do to get the maximum possible gains.
Who Is Vert Shock For?
In my opinion, almost every jumper may benefit from doing this vertical jump program. From complete beginners to advanced athletes, there are many benefits one can gain.
Vert Shock will work well for people who have a vertical of 35 inches or less. However, I wouldn’t recommend it to older individuals due to the program’s intensity.
People in their 30s might struggle with Vert Shock and even cause more damage than getting improvements, especially if they are out of shape.
Preparing a couple of weeks before the program with mobility and strength exercises for the legs would be the approach I suggest.
Vert Shock Pros and Cons
There’s no doubt this program isn’t perfect, and I’m sure many Vert Shock members would agree with me.
There are a couple of issues with Vert Shock, and I want to be transparent about them.
Cons
Insufficient explanations for the choice of the exercises
This isn’t inherently negative because it reduces reading time, but the program fails to explain why things need to be done in a certain way. You’ll have to do your research to understand the science underlying the workouts.
Not the best option for individuals prone to injury
This program has a very intense approach. If you frequently find yourself getting injuries from training, you are better off staying away from Vert Shock until you fully recover.
Risk of overtraining if you can’t adapt to your body’s needs
During this vertical jump program, you will likely need an extra day off (or more) at some point. Otherwise, you might be unable to complete the whole workout for the day due to muscle fatigue (Adam clearly states NOT to train while you are hurt).
Sometimes I felt like I had to cut down a few reps from some exercises because I was tired. You have to listen to your body and decide if you can train or not.
Thankfully, I have some tips inside my free VertShock guide to help you avoid this.
Pros
You will progress fast
When speaking about fast results, Vert Shock is unrivaled.
After the first two weeks, I witnessed a 3-inch improvement in my vertical and progressed from barely grasping the rim to nearly holding on to it.
Seeing progress so early on made sticking to the program much more effortless.
After a quick calculation at the end of the program, I improved by an average of 1-inch every week. Not bad if you ask me.
No gym or special equipment is necessary
The fact that you don’t need a gym is something I truly enjoyed about Vert Shock.
I had no intention of joining a gym or investing money in equipment. I completed all my workouts in a local indoor basketball playground minutes away from my house.
For the workouts, all you need is an elevated surface (such as a bench or any similar furniture) and a flat, preferably soft space where you may jump without worrying about injuries.
A 60-day money-back guarantee
The creators of Vert Shock, Adam, and Justin, offer a big refunding window. This tells a lot about their professionalism and care for customers.
You have nothing to lose if you want to try Vert Shock.
Straight to the point
There’s no BS or any extra irrelevant information. Everything is clearly explained in the videos. You get an instruction sheet for each program phase with the exact numbers of sets and repetitions for each exercise.
Member area is easy to access and navigate
The website’s layout is very user-friendly, and although pretty basic, it’s very effective. Each section is easy to navigate, every piece of text is easy to read, and videos load fast.
Customer support is excellent
I didn’t need this feature too much, but the answers to my questions were quick and exactly what I wanted to know when I did.
Rewards for your accomplishments
The program creators are running a monthly competition called “Vert Shock of the Month”. New members have a chance to win a gift card for their hard work and achievements.
You have to upload a short video of yourself on YouTube to enter the giveaway, showcasing your progress.
Free bonuses
When you buy Vert Shock, you will get some free stuff that can be of great help.
One of the most useful, in my case, was the “Jump Like Justin” guide. It covers almost everything you need to know about technique when it comes to dunking in a way that’s easy to understand.
Why Is Vert Shock Any Different Than Free Stuff?
Doing a simple search on the internet, you will indeed find some valuable information on vertical jump improvement. But as a beginner, you won’t be able to filter out the good stuff from that big pile of crap. As I did, you will probably get hurt if you don’t train systematically and effectively.
Vert Shock has a defined structure, which is why those exercises produce those results. You can find many of those exercises on YouTube; they are neither secret nor unique.
The Other Benefits of Vert Shock
Let’s face it, most people who show an interest in Vert Shock are doing it because they want to know if this vertical jump program will help them dunk. Hence, they ignore many other benefits one can get from it.
Here are a few examples:
- More shot blocks
- More rebounds
- You will score more under the rim
- Increased speed and capability to outrun opponents
- You will gain core strength, which helps you stay balanced and increases your endurance
- Increased flexibility while lowering your risk of injury
- More steals
As I pointed out, you can expect to get much more from Vert Shock other than being able to dunk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can girls do Vert Shock?
Vert Shock works for both men and women.
How much does Vert Shock cost?
Vert Shock usually costs $138 but for a limited time, you can get it for $67!
Will doing Vert Shock twice still increase my vertical jump?
It can certainly increase your vertical jump further if you are doing it for a second or third time. However, the results might not be as impressive as the first time.
Does Vert Shock work for volleyball?
Considering the fact that Vert Shock improves your vertical jump, then it will surely bring benefits if that sport involves jumping. Besides basketball, Vert Shock can be very helpful for soccer and volleyball players.
Vert Shock Program Complex Training Techniques
The main Vert Shock program is a great way to get started with training for vertical jump gains. However, once you have completed a few cycles of the program, you may want to consider adding some weightlifting exercises to help take your gains to the next level.
The Vert Shock Complex Training Techniques consist of a range of jump-specific strength/power exercises that can be completed 2x per week. These routines will help you build the muscle you need to make even bigger gains in your vertical jump. So if you’re looking for a way to keep making progress after completing Vert Shock, you are now covered.
The Vert Shock Complex Training Techniques are perfect for you if:
- You already went through the primary Vert Shock Program
- You don’t make any significant progress on your vert with body-weight workouts anymore
- You want to become as powerful and explosive as possible for the current or upcoming season
- You want to keep improving your vertical jump while gaining lean muscle mass
- You are a skilled and experienced athlete when it comes to plyometric training
Conclusion
My Vert Shock experience was, for the most part, positive, and I’m glad that I decided to try it. My dream of dunking became a reality. But, this wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t done the work and cared for my body. Getting enough sleep, healthy food, and extra recovery time (when needed) are just a few of the things that will determine your success.
So as you can see, there are a lot of factors that come into play if you want to get the best results. I wrote a free guide that dives deep into the factors contributing to your results.
In my opinion, Vert Shock is currently the best short-term vertical jump program. This is an investment worth making considering the price in relation to the results you can get. Its workouts require no special vertical jump equipment.
No one likes to waste money, so you surely don’t want to regret a purchase if you’re anything like me. Therefore, whether you’re unsatisfied with the results or the program doesn’t fit you, a 60-day money-back guarantee covers you.
I’m sure you’ve heard this a lot by now, but I will repeat it: You have nothing to lose!
I truly appreciate your patience if you’ve read it so far. This probably means you are serious about improving your jump and becoming better than your opponents.
I also hope my Vert Shock review has given you a better understanding of what this Vertical Jump program can bring to the table. My achievements will hopefully encourage you to take action today!
If you decide to get Vert Shock, I’m waiting to hear about your experience with it below in the comments. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions.
Take care!