People involved in sports, especially basketball, volleyball, soccer, and football, are often interested in finding ways to increase their vertical jump. There are many exercises and programs available that are specially designed for improving the vertical leap of a person. Before starting any of these programs though, you should at least be in good enough physical condition to start the program. Here we list a few exercises that you could start with before undertaking a training program. These will help get you started.
Warm Ups
Before starting the exercises, you need to warm up your muscles. Jog around for ten minutes or run up and down the stairs for a few minutes. Doing extensive leg stretches is another way to warm up the muscles. These simple exercises can help condition your body. Warming up before doing exercises helps you develop muscle fibers that are used for jumping.
Skipping Rope
Skipping rope is an exercise that should not be overlooked, as it will contribute in increasing the strength of your legs. Moreover, it helps maintain excellent cardiovascular condition. Do this exercise for fifteen to thirty minutes on a regular basis. Doing it early in the morning will give good results.
Knee Raises
Hold an overhead bar firmly, with your arms about shoulder-width apart. Hang from the overhead bar, with your arms fully extended and knees bent slightly. Hold this position and slowly raise your knees towards your chest. Squeeze your stomach muscles while doing this. Maintain the position of your knees for few seconds, before lowering your legs towards the floor. Repeat the process five times.
Knee Bends
One of the best ways to increase your leg strength is by bending the knees. Stand in an upright stance - straight, with chest out and keeping your back tight. Now, bend your knees slowly, keeping the back straight. Crouch, in a slow motion, to the maximum possible extent. Repeat this process 20 times.
Toe Raises
Stand straight. Now, raise your right leg in slow motion, until you can touch the tip of your toe with one hand. Pull down slowly and get back to the original position. Now, raise your left leg and repeat the process. Do this 30 times.
Sit-Ups
Sit-ups will be very helpful in improving your vertical leap. However, if you want to have commendable leg strength, simple sit-ups will not be enough. Bring variation to this exercise by lying down on the floor with the back in a straight position. Now, lift the shoulders from the floor, in a slow motion. Do this exercise daily for ten minutes, in the morning and at night. Be careful to use proper form. If done incorrectly, you can hurt your back. You can also try "crunches" instead of sit-ups (or as a variation). Exercises for your waist are important for all physical activity as it is the "core" area of your body and your ultimate all around strength and flexibility start here.
In order to correctly perform knee raises which is actually an abdominal exercise you will need an overhead bar. Knee raises are not for the faint hearted, however, as they are one of the most demanding of all abdominal workouts.
With your arms about shoulder width apart take a firm grip of the overhead bar. As you hang from the overhead bar your arms will be fully extended with your knees bent at the knee. From this position raise your knees as high as you can manage towards your chest. While doing this squeeze your stomach muscles. Hold your knees in this position for about a few seconds before lowering your legs towards the floor. Repeat these knee raises as many times as you can. Stop when you can't get your knees above your waist any longer.
It's important when doing these knee raises that you allow your abs to do all the work. The rest of your body should be still with no swinging or jerking movements.
Straight legged knee raises will be possible when you become more advanced in this vertical jump workout.
It's possible to add resistance to your knee raise workouts by wearing ankle weights or heavy shoes.
If you are serious about increasing your leap you need to find the right program that will meet your needs.
The best program for you will be able to be customized to your own individual and athletic needs and circumstances. Programs customize their workouts differently. One may concentrate on an individual's weaknesses, while another program will customize its program through performing repetitious exercise.
The best program will be able to customize your workout precisely according to your needs and not someone else's. It will also be able to individually take into account your weight, your height, your health, your fitness level and ultimately, your jump goal.
It will also offer multiple different training levels. The best program will increase your jump strength through both weight training and plyometrics.
I've briefly discussed what the best program should contain. Let me know touch on what it should never contain: 1. Outdated information from someone who has no experience in the industry 2. The same exercises that you used when you were 10 (years out of date) 3. Exhaustive sets and reps of the same vertical jump exercises over and over again. 4. Overtraining. Do not do a vertical jump workout every day. 5. Squat overtraining.
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