Increase Vertical

Almost all athletes are looking for ways to increase vertical jumps or leaps to win their games. Whether you are just a regular person or a star athlete, being able to jump higher than the normal average Joe is always an advantage.

The key components of increasing your vertical jump are strength, power and explosiveness. Get the most out of your trainings and workouts by maximizing them.

Genetically, your height is already determined so don’t pout about it. Instead, work and train harder to improve your verticals. That’s all you can do.
Here are simple tips to help you get better in your vertical jump.

Warm-up your muscles before trainings and workout. Warming up is very essential. You can do some very simple warm up exercises like calisthenics.
Stretch those muscles and wake those nerves. You do not want them stiff when you are training.

Run those stairs up and down for about 5-10 minutes. But do it faster than normal. This is a good cardiovascular exercise and good for increasing muscle strength in your legs.

Crunch that tummy. Your abdominal muscles are players also in jumping. Without a strong core muscles you will not be able to jump higher.
Stick to the program. Do not just do exercises that you think you want to do, or skip some exercises in your routine. Strictly follow your workout schedules to achieve your desired goal. They are there for a reason so stick with it.

Diet. Diet means both, to lose weight to be able to jump higher and to eat right (proper diet). This is one of the most important tips out there.

Keep moving. By always being active, your muscles are constantly moving and stretching giving them more flexibility.

Keep a record of your progress. This helps you to be kept in track. Jot down your weight, height of jump and the exercises you are doing on your first day of training. After few days or after a week, record you height, weight and height of jump again. By doing this you are able to compare and know which exercises are working for you and which are not.

Increase vertical jumps or leaps can be achieved through plyometric exercises. Plyometrics is the most important exercises when you want to achieve great lengths in your vertical jumps or leaps.

Examples of plyometric exercises are – Hurdle Jumping. Jump over a series of hurdles or barriers with your feet together. Force the jump from your knees and hips and swing your arms for balance. Do this jump over 5-10 hurdles for 3-5 times; Single Leg Hop. On standing position lift one leg then jump using your standing leg. With your arms raised for balance, swing your raised leg to force push another jump using your standing leg. Do this repeatedly for 10 times in forward motion then switch legs and start jumping with the opposite leg 10 times also; Tuck Jump is where you start on standing position then jump as high as you can bringing your knees to your chest and holding them. Release knees fast before you hit the ground. On landing, make sure you land on the balls of your heels. Do this several times and increase numbers of repetition as you progress.

Remember, plyometric exercises are to be performed as fast as you can to get the full benefits and let you increase vertical leaps and jumps.

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