I’m an athlete, I participate in track and field high jump competitions and also I play basketball. As an athlete you always have that competitive hunger in you. You want to strive harder, be faster, quicker and stronger than before. I’ve won competitions and became top dog among the city high schools. I was going on through my senior year picking a college to go to was a major decision to make. I was invited to join one of the local college’s high jump practices and there I realized they were in a whole different league. They were faster, bigger and stronger than me. I was really threatened by the fact that I’m not as good as I thought.
So I challenged myself to be better than those college athletes. I tried everything from increasing my running distance, increasing the weights that I lift and I even tried looking for meditation rituals to improve your performance. I did all of that so that I could increase my vertical to the level of those college athletes. I pushed myself to increase the hours I go to the gym completing every regimen there is for me to complete. I even expanded my training to the water. I repeatedly jump while I’m in water that it waist deep to strengthen my lower body.
What I’ve researched is that a strong lower body and a lean upper body are needed to increase your vertical. I even altered my diet so that it can increase my muscle strength and also increase my stamina at the same time. I increased my fiber intake so that I could be lighter and also decreased my carbohydrate intake to prevent me from gaining extra weight. I also taper my protein intake, too much would increase my muscle mass making me heavier and too little could weaken my muscles. So I had to find a balance between my diet and my training regimen. I’ve increased my vertical to about 20 cm because of this.
Now I’m at par with these college athletes and I feel that I can take them on anytime of the day. I don’t feel inferior anymore and my confidence went through the roof because of my increased vertical. I also feel that I won’t be just another athlete. I believe if I continue with my regimen I can be an athlete who won’t just jump higher than anyone else, but also who can jump of the page and be the cream of the crop.
