Want to learn how to increase vertical jump? Below are 3 super jumping workouts you can do to answer the question how can I jump higher. They target prime mover muscles in key jump-specific body regions. If you’ve neglected any one of these areas, a simple focus on just one of them can work like magic to get you extra inches immediately.
First, you must take care to stretch. Proper stretching increases the range of mobility in your jumping muscles. It increases the bold flow to your muscles so they contract and fire more fully. You want to do not a ballistic stretch but an active stretch. More explosive vertical leap happens because of flexibility in the muscle joints and fascia. Caution: Hold stretches for only 2 seconds. Any longer, you risk creating microtears in the tissue.
Next, you need to practice coordinated muscle activation. To jump your highest you have to properly coordinate your jumping muscles and activate them in a specific sequence. Before working on developing any muscle fiber strength you need to improve the signalling from your brain to your muscles. This is called the Neuromuscular Pathway and what plyometrics is all about – training to sequence the firing better you use more of your muscle fibers to improve our vertical leap. (see Magic Exercise for Jump). The major muscle groups you need to activate are the Quads, Glutes, and Hamstrings. You must sequence those muscles to fire in order so you can maximize your vertical leap.
Another important way to increase jump is to fix the muscular imbalances in your lower body. In most athletes the quads are much stronger than the glutes or hamstrings. You have to build those areas up to jump higher. Don’t forget that there is untapped jumping energy available to you in those underdeveloped muscles that complement the quads.
When you see your first few inches after the 3 exercises below, it won’t necessarily be from extra muscle strength, but from increase in brain-to-muscle interaction, where you’ve learned to effectively activate those muscles.
Instant Jump Manual Exercises
1. Glute Bridge
A great way to engage the glutes and hamstrings is the Glute Bridge. Squeeze your glutes tight and dig your heels into the ground. Notice how your hamstrings are activated. Focus on what it feels like to squeeze those glutes as you come up into the bridge.
2. Squat
This is an important functional movement jumping exercise. For starters don’t use weights in this exercise. Just your body weight will do for now. We’re not doing a high volume, we just want to focus on activating certain muscle groups. Focus on sticking your butt outward as you come down. As you come up, pay attention to what it feels like to really squeeze those glutes.
3. Lunge
Step forward on one foot and drop the other knee towards the ground. Focus on not letting the advancing knee come over your toe. Your posture should be erect. Make sure your shoulders are directly over your hips and not leaning forward. As you get stronger you may use dumbells for added resistance.
Experiment with varying the length of your step forward. A shorter step forward activates the quad of the back knee. This is called a Shallow Lunge. A longer step forward activates more of the glute and hamstrings. This is called a Wide Lunge.
You may consider this: The world’s greatest leapers build upon these 3 key exercises. They use a combination of strength and plyometrics in a stacked approach. Known as power plyometrics, and one of the best examples is in the special report …
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