Saturday, October 10, 2009

Do you want to increase your vertical jumping?

By Amit Rosman

If you want to increase your vertical jumping height, you need to practice and do exercises. But which exercises are the most effective? Is there a best way to exercise to generate the maximum results? How can you work to improve without getting burned out? Here are some tips that will help you increase your vertical jumping the right way.

Don't forget to warm up. Before you begin jumping or exercising, you need to stretch to warm up your legs. Many of the routines created for swimmers to stretch out are ideal for jumpers, as well. It's also a good idea to spend several minutes jumping rope or running stairs. This may also be included as a part of your exercise routine, but you should always begin with exercises like this to get warmed up before moving on to other more intense exercises.

Strengthen Your Legs. To build strength, you want to focus on performing appropriate exercises slowly and methodically. You should plan for each rep of a particular leg exercise to take about nine seconds from start to completion. For instance, slow toe raises and deep knee bends help strengthen your leg muscles and can be performed either with or without added weights.

Build muscles. No, this isn't about having the Mr. Olympics look - oiled chiseled bodies with bulging muscle groups. Building muscles is about toning and shaping your body so that you are able to improve your metabolic rate, lose body fat and keep your jumps powered. Strong bones and muscles are extremely important; they're pre-requisites for anyone wanting to add a few inches to their vertical jumping prowess. Remember, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. And the more calories you burn, the more energy you have to fire your every move.

Having said that, what common exercises can help you improve your vertical jumps? Quite a few really easy ones that you can do everyday include:

Jumping rope. This should not be difficult to do or find. A length that you can comfortably swing around you does the trick. Stand tall and jump on two feet for a few minutes, then hop on each foot alternately. You can do this while watching your favorite program on the telly. Ten-minute bursts are great to begin with. You can increase intensity as you go along. But remember that because you want to increase the height of your vertical jump, your goal is always to jump higher, not jump more often in a stretch of time.

Bend Those Knees-Go Deep. Deep knee bends are a very effective exercise for vertical jumpers-when they are performed correctly. It is important to keep a straight back at all times and bend only at the knees. Lower yourself down almost-but not quite-as far as you can go toward the floor (maintaining that straight back) for a count of four and then slowly rise for another count of four. Do 15 repetitions of this exercise. After a couple of weeks, start to increase the number of reps. This exercise is great for overall legs and thighs, too.

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