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I just wanted to see what people's experience has been w/air alert. I've got some minor knee problems, some calf tendonitis, and I would have to do it on a concrete surface, but I do have 1 inch thick rubber mats to put over the concrete. Before I get into it I want to know what others experiences have been in terms of effectiveness and injury, thanks.

I did Air Alert program 3 and thought it was great. I don't know how bad your knee problems are but if you experience any pain in your knees i would reccommend rehab before Air Alert. You're gonna be doing high volume reps and it can definitely take a toll on your joints and muscles. Give it a go on concrete, if it hurts switch to mats, and if it still hurts i'd say forget it.

I have not done it but I heard great things from everyone who has. I would agree to try and work out your knee problems first. Just working it out will probably get rid of some scar tissue and make your muscle more limber. Plus you'll probably gain some strength for going into air alert. Tendinitis is tendinitis, that's not getting better without an NBA-level training staff. I say give it a shot.

Also, while I would 'not condone' this, I believe you can find the air alert program online somewhere (if you haven't already).

messes up ur knee

i would try Vertical Jump Bible, i just started it and it hasn't fuked up anything but i know for many ppl it has worked.

If your knee bugs you, you can always slow down your progression.

I know I gained three inches of vertical in the first three weeks that I was doing Air Alert.

I did Air Alert over 12 years ago. Then I wouldn't recommend it. It requires a ridiculous amount of overwork on your legs without any days off. You're training jumping repetitions six times a week every week. (At least then you were.) I did get gains from the programme but I also got torn knee cartilege which has left me never the same again.

prophet_of_rage wrote:I did Air Alert over 12 years ago. Then I wouldn't recommend it. It requires a ridiculous amount of overwork on your legs without any days off. You're training jumping repetitions six times a week every week. (At least then you were.) I did get gains from the programme but I also got torn knee cartilege which has left me never the same again.

This guys case seems extreme. You have to guage your level of injury before you begin the program. If you are experiencing pain (the kind that leads to torn knee cartilige) then i would recommend that you immediately stop the program.
You do about 20 mins of workout everyday, if that. ]
I didn't find it to be physically demanding, although the last few weeks do get more intense.

prophet, the current program is all about ensuring you take several days off. IIRC, it's 3 days a week, not six.

i would first start off with starting a healthy lifestyle. if you eat correctly, do lcompound lifts and cardio (do high intensity cardio) you'll be in much better shape to start the program.

squatting is also very important and very difficult. it will help strengthen your knees if you do them correctly. a lot of people complain and say they have bad knees as an excuse not to squat but it's just because it's a very uncomfortable exercise.

i'm sure the exercises help to an extent but they will never get you there without hte proper diet and being in generally good shape.

That's pretty wise, pewing. VERY good post.

Another good thing to note is that you should warm up and stretch, and then cool down and stretch (before and after the workout), which is sound advice for any workout or major athletic activity.

Do some light jogging or some skipping (not as aggressively as the air alert program will have you doing later, though). Take a few jumpers and layups, something like that. Then stretch. Walk for 5 or 10 minutes to cool down, then stretch again. Always good.

You don't really need to stretch before workouts, but you may want to if you're doing a lot of jumping. It's actually more important to stretch afterwards.

I've found that stretching before helps noticeably, so long as you also stretch after. I've also noticed that I jump 2 or 3 inches higher when I stretch before I play.

Pewing, I'm not in terrible shape, I'm playing ball 2-3 times per week but guys my own age who have been worse than me for years and years are passing me and my finishing ability has plummetted so I was hoping I could get something back with this program.

How long of a program is the Jump Bible? I will say with a wife and kid the 15 weeks of air alert sounds like a pretty serious commitment.

I've heard bad things about Air Alert being strenuous on the knees, everyone who's compared it to the vertical jump bible says VJB i's much better.

The Main Event wrote:I did Air Alert program 3 and thought it was great. I don't know how bad your knee problems are but if you experience any pain in your knees i would reccommend rehab before Air Alert. You're gonna be doing high volume reps and it can definitely take a toll on your joints and muscles. Give it a go on concrete, if it hurts switch to mats, and if it still hurts i'd say forget it.

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No disrespect to you "The Main Event" its just this is wrong...

OP listen.... DO NOT DO NOT do it on concrete.... when jumping on concrete all the energy is no absorbed its reflected back into you.... what you should do is use the 1 inch rubber padding that you have, the padding has give which increases the collision time between your foot and the ground and therefore reducing the force exerted back onto your joints ... it is the same principles as car collisions, the goal of guard rails is to maximize collision time, thus reduces force going back into the passengers.

DO NOT DO AIR ALERT on CONCRETE! especially if you have KNEE problems and tendinitis...

I started a speed rope (skipping) regime last summer, skipping on concrete caused some pretty serious pain in my knees, i was 19 and NEVER had any serious injuries before (breaks, fractures, tendinitis etc)

Dont do concrete. and have plenty of rest in between

I did it. At first, for 3 years my knees felt fine and my standing vertical peak reached 30+ inches. Now 5 years later, they feel horrible.

DON'T DO IT. IT SCREWS YOUR KNEES OVER TIME

dont have injuries to report, but i must mention that it is extremely time consuming, esp towards the end. hope you have the time.

vertical jump bible is 3 days a week!

thebossman wrote:

The Main Event wrote:I did Air Alert program 3 and thought it was great. I don't know how bad your knee problems are but if you experience any pain in your knees i would reccommend rehab before Air Alert. You're gonna be doing high volume reps and it can definitely take a toll on your joints and muscles. Give it a go on concrete, if it hurts switch to mats, and if it still hurts i'd say forget it.

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No disrespect to you "The Main Event" its just this is wrong...

OP listen.... DO NOT DO NOT do it on concrete.... when jumping on concrete all the energy is no absorbed its reflected back into you.... what you should do is use the 1 inch rubber padding that you have, the padding has give which increases the collision time between your foot and the ground and therefore reducing the force exerted back onto your joints ... it is the same principles as car collisions, the goal of guard rails is to maximize collision time, thus reduces force going back into the passengers.

DO NOT DO AIR ALERT on CONCRETE! especially if you have KNEE problems and tendinitis...

I started a speed rope (skipping) regime last summer, skipping on concrete caused some pretty serious pain in my knees, i was 19 and NEVER had any serious injuries before (breaks, fractures, tendinitis etc)

Dont do concrete. and have plenty of rest in between

Dude, no disrespect but do you play basketball on rubber mats or on concrete/hardwood? If he is to follow your logice then why not take it a step further and give him this advice;
"DO NOT PLAY BASKETBALL ON CONCRETE OR HARDWOOD FLOORS!!! what you should do is find enough rubber padding to cover a basketball court and lay it down every time you decide to play. That way you won't suffer from the long term effects of jumping up and down on concrete!!! "

Sorry dude, but if you're jumping so hard that you're flat footed you are not performing a proper jump. You should remain on the balls of your feet at all times, which will maximize your gains.
You can listen to his advice if you want though, im sure he'll reccomend a wheel chair instead of walking as it's better on the knees.

What is your vertical guys? I used Jumpsoles about 4 years ago for half a year, and my vertical is 32". I am 6'3", so I am able to dunk it, but it is difficult in games.