Why I Made This Episode
Episode 23 of the Dunk Talk Podcast is a solo episode. I (Dylan Haugen) sat down by myself to walk through exactly how I went from a 37.5-inch vertical to a 41.5-inch vertical in about one year. This was a big milestone for me as a 5 foot 11 dunker who was 16 years old at the time, and I wanted to break down every phase of that progress for anyone trying to do the same thing. I had just measured at the doctor at 5 foot 11 and three-eighths, which was funny because I had been saying 5 foot 10 in all my previous videos and basically had to change my whole brand because of the height update.
Where It All Started: The 37.5-Inch Baseline
When I first tested my vertical at 37.5 inches, I already knew I had some bounce but I was not where I wanted to be. At that point I was writing my own training programs, which in hindsight was both a blessing and a curse. I was learning a ton about programming and exercise selection, but I also did not have the refined approach that comes from working with experienced coaches. The key thing was that I was consistent and I was willing to put in the work even when progress felt slow.
My training setup at the time revolved around getting gym access wherever I could. One of the main spots I used was a really nice gym that cost about $100 for access, and I treated it as something to aim for. I would go there roughly once a month for big group sessions and plan my training blocks around those dates. I would train hard for about three weeks, do a mini deload, and then have my big session. This approach gave me both structure and something to look forward to that kept me motivated.
Group Sessions and Training Partners
A huge part of my progress came from the people I was training with. I had planned sessions with Hunter Castona, who many of you know as a 6 foot 1 dunker from Wisconsin who has hit under-both, off-the-backboard between-the-legs, and all kinds of crazy dunks. Having someone like Hunter to train with pushed me way harder than I would have pushed myself alone. I also trained with some of the Minnesota dunking crew, and those group sessions were always the days where I would hit new milestones because the energy and competition brought out my best performance.
Setting specific dates for these sessions and training toward them was one of the best decisions I made during this period. Rather than just going to the gym every day and hoping to improve, I had these target dates where I knew I needed to be at my best. It created accountability and gave my training blocks a clear purpose. Every three-week block had a session at the end that I was building toward.
The Setbacks Along the Way
This journey was not a straight line by any means. I had a stretch during basketball season where I could not train the way I wanted to because of the demands of being on a team. When basketball was over I hit another eastbay in a group session and was finally ready to get back to serious training, but then I went on a vacation to the Dominican Republic. I said I was going to train while I was there but honestly with friends around and so much to do I did not go to the gym once. I am normally the type of person who would never skip anything, but I think the fact that I had just gotten back into lifting made it easier to justify the time off.
That said, I did manage to dunk twice while in the Dominican Republic and even hit a new dunk, a Dubble Up two-hander on about a 9 foot 11 rim. Nothing crazy by most standards, but hitting a new dunk on vacation was a cool moment. After getting back in March, I got right back into planning sessions with Hunter and getting my training on track. The key lesson from that period was that taking some time off is not the end of the world as long as you come back with the same intensity.
The Testing Day and Hitting 41.5 Inches
When the actual vert test day came, I went through a pretty specific routine. I did the test and then dunked for a while afterward, hitting three eastbays in that session which was crazy for me at the time. All three were on a 9 foot 11 rim. I also got really close to an under-both, kind of hit an elbow dunk, and had some other solid dunks in the mix. It was one of those sessions where everything felt right and the numbers reflected it.
Later that same day I had to wait about three hours and then took caffeine before dunking again in a Dunkademics session. Unfortunately I did not hit an eastbay during that session, and I believe it was mainly because of the fatigue from having already hit three earlier in the day plus the long break in between. That experience taught me something important about session management: if you have a big filming opportunity or event, you need to be smart about how much energy you spend beforehand.
What Actually Drove the Progress
Looking back at the entire year, a few things stand out as the real drivers of my vertical increase. First was consistency in the weight room. Even though I was writing my own programs and they were not perfect, I showed up and put in the work over and over again. Second was the group sessions and training partners that pushed me beyond what I would do alone. Third was the periodic approach of training hard in blocks with deloads built in rather than just grinding every single day without structure.
After camp in July, I shifted my training approach a bit. I did a lot of 3 by 8 sets and also spent time low-rimming, which was basically a month of not trying to gain vertical but instead working on dunk technique and having fun with it. Sometimes you need those phases where you are not chasing numbers and instead just enjoying the process of dunking. That mental break can actually set you up for the next phase of gains because you come back hungry and fresh.
Takeaways for Other Dunkers
The biggest takeaway from going from 37.5 to 41.5 inches in a year is that there is no magic program or secret supplement that made it happen. It was consistent training, smart session planning, good training partners, and being honest about setbacks when they happened. I took time off when I needed to, I adjusted when things were not working, and I always came back with a plan. If you are trying to make similar gains, I would strongly encourage you to find people to train with, set specific dates to test yourself, and do not beat yourself up over the weeks where life gets in the way. The four-inch gain happened because I kept showing up over the full year, not because of any single training block or session. Watch the full episode above for all the details on every phase of that year.