Exercise to Help Jump Higher

Increasing your maximum jump is valuable in a range of specific athletic pursuits, but also useful in a more general sense as an overall sign of fitness and leg strength. Increasing your jumping height involves a combination of techniques and muscle groups. You must develop power, dexterity and technique.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Measuring tape Pencil Weight machine Step platform Jump rope
Measuring tape
Pencil
Weight machine
Step platform
Jump rope

Step 1

Stretch before every workout. Stretches should be gentle and slow. Your goal is to warm up muscles as much as it is about stretching their capacity.

Step 2

Measure your starting vertical jump. The typical vertical jump is measured by first standing against a wall and marking the maximum height you can touch with one arm raised. Keep both feet together and flat on the floor when taking this initial measurement. After measuring your maximum reach, jump from the same position and measure the maximum height your reach on the wall. The difference between your reach and the maximum height jumped is the measurement of your vertical leap.

Step 3

Jump rope for 20 minutes four days a week. While sprints or any other high-intensity aerobic exercise can help strengthen your legs, nothing is better than jump-roping for the aerobic component of increasing your vertical leap.

Step 4

Weight train for strength. The most useful weight exercises to increase your vertical leap include squats and leg presses. While jumping rope will aid endurance and technique, weight lifting should be all about maxing out your muscles to exhaustion.

Step 5

Perform core workouts. Crunches and other ab exercises have a surprising role to play in vertical leaps. Strengthening your core can help you transfer power from your upper body when tucking before a leap.

Step 6

Perform jump exercises using steps or a stair-height platform. Exercises involving a step platform will help your technique and demonstrate your progress. Jump from the ground to your step platform, then leap down, attempting to land as softly as possible. Continue this exercise in sets of 10, adding one set focusing on each leg.

Step 7

In addition to stretching after workouts, make sure to taper, particularly after multiple days of weight-lifting to exhaustion. Taking a few days off to allow your muscles time to heal and grow is essential to building up the muscle mass needed for higher vertical leaps.

Tips & Warnings

Jump ropes should be long enough to reach your armpits after standing on the rope's center.

Use a spotter when performing jumping exercises or when working with free weights.

Resources

Article Written By Louie Doverspike

Based in Seattle, Louie Doverspike has been a professional writer since 2004. His work has appeared in various publications, including "AntiqueWeek" magazine, the "Prague Post" and "Seattle Represent!" Doverspike holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hamilton College.

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