Posts Tagged ‘increase vertical’

Beginning Exercises to Aid Your Vertical Leap

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Do you want to know which exercises to start with that will help your vertical leap? Since there are many, we’ll help you narrow the list a little. There are a few in particular that can improve your capacity and help you learn how to jump higher. Here are some fundamental ones that are an excellent place to begin your training. You need to make sure that you follow them precisely. Many people perform the correct exercises, but they don’t do them correctly. Add these three exercises to your vertical training and you will be well on your way to adding major inches to your vertical.

Though most people may think that just the leg muscles require development to help you jump higher, this is not correct. Your lower back and erector muscles need to be strong too. Many of the back muscles are heavily involved and need strengthening as well. Vertical jumping exercises should include working on this area. Which brings us to our first exercise.

Dead Lifts

A first-rate exercise to begin with is the dead lift. Arch your back, bend your knees while holding the weighted bar. Come to an erect position while holding the bar. Slowly return the barbell back to the starting position on the floor. The first 3 sets of 6-8 reps should be done swiftly but steadily to avoid injury. {Take a rest.|Take a brief rest after these first 3 sets.} Then do the next set, but this time take your time and feel the full range of your muscles.

Leg Presses

A second exercise that can help increase your vertical leap is leg presses. Set the weight on the machine to a weight appropriate for you. Place your feet about shoulder breadth apart. Bring the plate down gradually until your knees bend to your chest, and then quickly push it away. It’s not about the slow and steady here. You need to practice the explosive move to get the most out of the muscles you will use when jumping. Do 5 sets of 6 reps. Permit muscles to relax between sets.

Medicine Ball

Finally, use a heavy medicine ball in place of a basketball. Pretend you are going to slam dunk, but don’t in reality throw the ball! Embellish the movements and reach for the rim. This will help improve all the muscles you will be using when you slam dunk for real. As with the leg presses, make sure to be explosive when you perform this exercise.

These three exercises are only three of several that can help enhance your vertical jump. Mix these with more jumping exercises. Remember that correct form is just as critical as the weight and the number of reps.

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