The Upper Body Power Play
Athlete Performance
“Your arms aren’t just along for the ride—they help you jump higher, move faster, and perform better.”
Want to Jump Higher? Don’t Ignore Your Upper Body.
If you think vertical power is all about the legs, think again.
Your upper body plays a massive role in how well you move—especially when it comes to generating force, jumping, and accelerating.
Your arms act like a coil, helping your body store and release energy.
It’s like pulling back a slingshot—the more efficiently you load, the more power you release.
Still not convinced? Try this:
Jump like you normally would, using your arms.
Then, place your hands behind your head and jump again.
Feel the difference?
That’s exactly why your upper body matters—not just for vertical jumps, but for quick cuts, agility, and sprinting.
Try running without using your arms—it doesn’t go well.
How to Train It
So, how do you train your upper body to deliver that kind of athletic power?
One of our go-to drills: the Double-Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise.
Programming Example:
2–3 sets
10–15 reps
Controlled tempo
Full range of motion
This movement builds shoulder strength, stability, and coordination—key ingredients for transferring upper-body drive into lower-body power.
Putting It All Together
When you combine this type of shoulder work with:
Core training (for control and transfer of force)
Lower-body strength (for power generation)
Mobility work (for freedom of movement)
…you build an athlete who moves better in every direction—strong, balanced, and explosive.
It’s one piece of the performance puzzle—but a key one.
Final Thought
Power isn’t just built from the ground up—it’s built from the ground through.
Train your upper body like it matters, because it does.
And when you connect strength from head to toe, you’ll feel the difference in every jump, sprint, and movement you make.
— Coach Shelby and The Shelby Trained Team
