For most athletes, being able to jump higher is highly beneficial. Volleyball, soccer, basketball and badminton are just a few examples of sports that require their players to have this skill in order to gain a good advantage over others. This is why it is always a great addition to an athlete’s arsenal, having the ability to jump higher. The question is, is there enough and proper training available to increase your vertical jump? Isn’t this some sort of a hereditary skill? It is both. Some are born with it and others learn and acquire it through training and practice. Those who are genetically gifted can also choose to become better. If you want to get started with your vertical jump training through a how to jump higher program, complete with a workout and nutrition plan as well as training videos, you can check out The Jump Manual for vertical basketball.
So what should you do to increase vertical jump? Vertical jump training involves core and leg muscle “power” exercises. Balance is needed during your vertical leaps and you can gain balance through a strong core. Higher heights are reached with a strong core. On the other hand, power training your legs gives you the needed strength required to shoot you up from the ground to begin with. Lastly comes plyometrics. Plyometric exercises improve your muscles’ quickness by honing their responsiveness. The combination of speed and strength allows for what sports experts refer to as “vertical explosion” which in turn is what will set apart the mediocre from the greats.
The following is an exercise routine that’s easy to follow. It will help you gain muscle in your core and your legs as well as promote responsiveness in the latter: Begin your routine by a warm-up of jumping a heavy rope. Do this for 3 minutes. Jumping rope is a great yet simple way to increase your jump height. Quickness is trained and instilled in your movements when you train the neural and muscle activity required to jump which is what happens with jumping rope. To prepare for the strengthening part of the routine, you should go into stretching the muscle groups in your abdomen and your legs first. Jump ropes for another 5 to 10 minutes then get ready for muscle building.
Strengthening. Strengthening the core takes as simple as 50 to 100 crunches minimum per session. Just make sure that the reps you choose are enough to strain and really work your abdominal muscles. Afterwards, you can strengthen the legs and the calves through toe raises and knee bends. For the toe raises, do 15 to 20 reps and for the knee bends, do about 10 reps. During an exercise, it is important that you listen to your body and stop when it gives you the signal that you’re about to overstrain it. Then proceed to jump squatting, a plyometric exercise. This exercises is a perfect way to train your legs for strength and quickness. Begin this exercise by bending into an air squat. Then jump up into the air. Jump as high as you possibly can. 5 to 10 reps should do it. Remember to move as quickly as possible. Then stretch your muscles to cool down. You can find more exercises to jump higher as well as a list a review of excellent vertical jump training programs at The Jump Manual Review.
Visit ReviewMOZ.org for product reviews of popular training programs available to improve your skill set and take your play to the highest level in basketball, volleyball, golf, baseball and more. Check out Jump Manual by Jacob Hiller. Read the Jump Manual Review and other vertical jump reviews at ReviewMOZ.org.