Increasing Vertical Jump

Many people are interested in increasing their vertical leap. Whether you are a basketball player that needs a few more inches to dunk, a high jumper looking to add another six inches to win your state high jump championship, or just someone that wishes you could jump higher, there are effective ways to go about increasing your vertical jump that will help you in any of these scenarios.

First, we need to figure out what we need to strengthen to improve our vertical leap: In order to jump higher, you need to build the muscles in your quads and calfs.

One of the best ways to strengthen your calves is by good old fashioned squats. When doing squats, lower yourself slowly and explode up quickly. This helps develop your fast-twitch muscles, which will assist you greatly in increasing your vertical jump. Another good idea is to do one-legged squats. This is especially helpful for basketball players or anyone else that is required to jump off of one leg. As far as the amount of weight you should be squatting, a good goal is to be able to squat two times your weight.

Building the muscles in your calves is also important when when increasing vertical jump. When you are jumping, your calves provide you with that final burst just before you leave the ground. This makes building strength in your calves very important. One way to strengthen your calves is by doing calf raises on the nearest staircase.

This is a nice exercise because you don't even need to go to a gym to do it. The more the range of motion, the better the results you will get from this exercise. To improve your calf strength even more you can put weight on your back. Make sure to start off with very little weight and work your way up.

Flexibility is an important aspect of improving your vertical leaping ability. If your muscles are tight, you will not be able to jump as highly as if they were not. It is important to stretch out your calves and quads, as well as your hip flexors and hamstrings.

On days when you are not doing strength training, it is good to do some exercises that actually require jumping. Do some jumping without bending your knees. Also do some jumping with your arms stuck to your sides. These types of exercises will isolate your muscles and help them gain extra strength.

One other thing that cannot be overlooked is body fat. If you have a high percentage of body fat, it will definitely hinder your leaping ability. Just reducing body fat alone will help you get you with increasing vertical jump. Losing body fat can be done by adding a cardiovascular segment to your daily workout and cutting down the calories you take in on a daily basis.

After spending 30 to 45 minutes per day on these exercises for a month, you should begin to see an increase in your vertical leap. It is important to practice your vertical jump a couple times a week. The Jump Manual is the only guide on the web that targets every specific aspect of increasing your vertical jump. Check it out.