Jumping is an important skill for many athletes. There are tons of 'How to Jump Higher' programs out there, and perhaps someday we'll review some of them. Or, create our own. For now, we present a list of jumping exercises that over time should help increase your vertical leap.
Whether you want to devote yourself to working towards the career of a professional athlete or you just want to fare a little better in a pick-up game, increasing your leg strength and your vertical leap can be a relatively easy process. Basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, baseball…. chances are you have played one or more of these sports and found yourself in a situation where knowledge on how to jump higher could have given you the chance to score or avoid getting scored on.
Follow this article to increase your Vertical Jump Height to 12-inches.
Some Scientific Tips on How to Jump Higher
Warming Up:
Before starting the exercises for jumping higher, warm up your muscles. Stretch properly, and jog around for a few minutes. If you have a jump rope, use it. Jumping rope definitely helps your conditioning. Running up and down stairs for a while is very useful as a warm-up, or a full exercise. Don't do too much or else you may wear your legs. Use it as a quick warm-up, or a full exercise.
Continue practicing jumps and squats:
Jumps, hops, and lunges are known as plyometric for learning how to jump higher.Plyometric are high-intensity movements which increase your heart rate quickly. Endurance training can actually improve your quick twitch muscle fibers, making jumping more powerful.
For a maximum exercise, try holding about one-third of the weight that you normally lift. Jump explosively and repeat it as many times as you can if you really need to know how to jump high.
Calf Raises:
Many gyms have a seated calf raise machine that is built for one purpose only: to give you rocking calves. The idea is simple here – place your feet on the platform and put your knees under the bar. Release the safety and raise your legs using the balls of your feet.
Squats:
In addition to doing exercises like leg curls, presses, and other quad/hamstring lifts, squats are a great exercise for building leg and core strength. If you don't know how to do a squat, it is best to get some help from someone at the gym. It can be easy to hurt yourself if you misunderstand the form, so don't take a chance if you really need to know how to jump high. Start out by trying to lift about 50% of your body weight (bar included). Try to do 6-8 reps. If the weight is too low; add on a few more lbs.
Stomach Crunches:
We believe that sit-ups are bad for your back. Stomach crunches, where while lying on your back, using your ab muscles and keeping your back straight, you rise up just enough to lift your shoulders off the ground, are better. Do them often – perhaps for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night.
Read this blog post on the Jump Manual and achieve the desired Vertical Jump Height in 12 weeks.
If you want more information about how to jump higher, you can check this Jump Manual pdf .