How To Increase Your Vertical Leap
When it comes to vertical leap, some people seem to have natural ability how to jump higher than others. A strong vertical jump can distinguish a good athlete from the rest. Fortunately for people who weren't born with high vertical leap, there are exercises that can be performed to improve their jumping ability. Increasing your vertical leap can help you in many sports including basketball, football or volleyball. Here are some tips on how to improve your vertical leap and jump higher.
1. Build strong legs. There are several things you can do to increase overall leg power. You can do leg strengthening exercises like quad presses, hamstring curls, squats and calf raises. Muscular endurance is fine, but to achieve very high jump, it is important to build as much raw power as possible.
2. Perform jumping exercises. Intense jumping drills will help you to improve your jumping ability fast. Jump side to side, and then forward and backward. Do several repetitions of this exercise over an elevated platform. Jumping rope is also a great training method that tones the legs and increase endurance. This will help to keep the high of jumps up.
3. Reduce weight by exercising and maintaining a healthy diet. You can also increase your vertical jump by increasing physical prowess of your legs and by reducing the load your body carries. Extra body fats impedes your ability to jump higher - it takes millimeters off your vertical jump. If you are currently carrying some extra body fat, slimming down might be a good idea. To achieve this, add some cardio to your workout, and take a closer look at your dietary habits. Reducing your weight, while increasing or maintaining muscular strength will dramatically increase your vertical jump.
4. Exercise your core and upper body. It is important to understand that the core and arms perform an essential function in jumping. Strong arms allow for a more powerful downward swing, thereby enabling the legs to push off the ground with more force. Perform body resistance exercises like crunches, pull ups and push ups in order to get fit. Lifting heavy weights tend to build very large muscles and are not recommended if you want to increase your vertical leap. Doing crunches will help you build a stronger core. Do this about 20 times or more, take a break for a few seconds and repeat the set.
5. Develop your flexibility. Training to develop your flexibility will help you jump higher. If your ligaments, tendons and muscles are tight in your lower body, you will not be able to increase your vertical leap. If they are flexible, they will be able to leverage more force, which will increase your jumping ability. You'll want to focus specifically on the hip flexors, the quads, the calves and the hamstrings.
Before exercising, set a schedule and stick to it. Also, you should always perform warming exercises to get your muscles ready for the workout. You can do a little running or jogging to get started. Keep at it and you can achieve higher vertical leap.
1. Build strong legs. There are several things you can do to increase overall leg power. You can do leg strengthening exercises like quad presses, hamstring curls, squats and calf raises. Muscular endurance is fine, but to achieve very high jump, it is important to build as much raw power as possible.
2. Perform jumping exercises. Intense jumping drills will help you to improve your jumping ability fast. Jump side to side, and then forward and backward. Do several repetitions of this exercise over an elevated platform. Jumping rope is also a great training method that tones the legs and increase endurance. This will help to keep the high of jumps up.
3. Reduce weight by exercising and maintaining a healthy diet. You can also increase your vertical jump by increasing physical prowess of your legs and by reducing the load your body carries. Extra body fats impedes your ability to jump higher - it takes millimeters off your vertical jump. If you are currently carrying some extra body fat, slimming down might be a good idea. To achieve this, add some cardio to your workout, and take a closer look at your dietary habits. Reducing your weight, while increasing or maintaining muscular strength will dramatically increase your vertical jump.
4. Exercise your core and upper body. It is important to understand that the core and arms perform an essential function in jumping. Strong arms allow for a more powerful downward swing, thereby enabling the legs to push off the ground with more force. Perform body resistance exercises like crunches, pull ups and push ups in order to get fit. Lifting heavy weights tend to build very large muscles and are not recommended if you want to increase your vertical leap. Doing crunches will help you build a stronger core. Do this about 20 times or more, take a break for a few seconds and repeat the set.
5. Develop your flexibility. Training to develop your flexibility will help you jump higher. If your ligaments, tendons and muscles are tight in your lower body, you will not be able to increase your vertical leap. If they are flexible, they will be able to leverage more force, which will increase your jumping ability. You'll want to focus specifically on the hip flexors, the quads, the calves and the hamstrings.
Before exercising, set a schedule and stick to it. Also, you should always perform warming exercises to get your muscles ready for the workout. You can do a little running or jogging to get started. Keep at it and you can achieve higher vertical leap.
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