How to increase your high jump
Contributor(s): Francisco Gomez. Francisco Gomez is the head trainer at FIT Potato Gym, a San Francisco Bay Area training center founded in 2001. He is a former professional runner. Helps athletes develop endurance and prepare for major marathons such as the Boston Marathon. He specializes in injury rehabilitation, flexibility development, marathon training and senior fitness. He has a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and sports physiology and running.
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If you’re an athlete, the ability to jump higher will come in handy. A powerful vertical jump offers advantages in a variety of sports, including basketball, gymnastics and volleyball. It also helps build physical fitness and body flexibility in general. You can increase your vertical jump height with calisthenics, plyometrics and strength training.
- Limit yourself to two plyometric workouts a week and take at least a two-day break in between.
- Once a week, take a full day off from any training.
Tip: On days off from plyometrics, you can do other types of training, such as cardio, weight lifting, and/or calisthenics.
- Do three sets of five repetitions until the exercise is easy to do. Then increase the number of repetitions in each attempt to 8.
- Complete three sets of eight repetitions.
- Begin with 3 repetitions. Concentrate on the intensity of the exercise, not the number of repetitions.
- Don’t do “walking” jump rope jumps, where you’re essentially doing a motion like running in place, jumping over the rope first with one foot, then the other. Instead, try to keep your ankles together and jump with both feet at the same time.
- As your skill improves, start jumping faster. You can also try spinning the rope slower at first, so you can do one extra jump in between jumping over the rope to keep your balance. When you’re ready, start spinning the rope faster to get rid of the balancing jump.
- Examples of calisthenics exercises are push-ups, jumps with arm swings and leg spreads, squats and lunges.
Keep in mind: you can do calisthenics daily, but with at least one day of rest per week.
Do daily stretching . Stretching exercises not only help avoid injuries during other workouts, but also improve your jumping ability by relaxing your muscles.
- For best results, perform the exercise on the edge of a curb or step.
- Start with 20 repetitions, increasing in number as the exercise becomes easier for you.
- When doing deep squats, your thighs should drop below knee level.
- Quality squats make the entire lower body work. They also stretch the torso muscles in the back and abdomen.
- Start by doing 3 sets of 10 squats each.
- Do some squats with weight shifted to your toes. This will help strengthen your ankles.
- Do three sets of 10 repetitions for each leg.
Stand on one leg. Do this exercise alternately on different legs to strengthen your ankles. It can protect you from an ankle injury when you land after a jump. Stand up straight and concentrate your gaze on some object in front of you. Take one foot off the floor and stay there until the other foot is tired. Then transfer the weight to the other leg and repeat the exercise.
- Do strength training two or three times a week.
Keep in mind that you should have at least one rest day in between strength training sessions. On rest days you can do other types of training. However, do not forget to have at least one full day of rest per week.
- The weight of the barbell should be as high as you can lift.
- Keep the bar close to your body and your arms straight down. Do not use your elbows.
- Complete three sets of eight repetitions.
- Start with a lower weight and concentrate on the speed of the exercise.
- Complete three sets of eight repetitions.
- When using dumbbells, start with 2 kg weight each and gradually work your way up to 3-3.5 kg.
- When using barbells, take just the bar without the load at first.
Practice the vertical jump. Every few days, perform a few high jumps to track your progress. However, don’t focus on the high jump as the main goal of your training. Doing jumps all the time will not provide as much progress as targeted exercises to train your body’s athletic ability. [10] X Source of Information
Measure your jump height. Stand against a wall or high pole and extend your arm as high as possible. Ask a friend to mark the point that your arm reaches (have them mark it with a chalk or other writing instrument). Then jump up with your hand still raised and ask your friend to try to mark the point where your fingers touch the wall above. Determine the distance between the two points. This will be the current height of your jump. [11] X Source of Information
Tip: Try wetting your fingers or smearing them with chalk so you can leave marks on the wall yourself and make it easier to measure your jump height.
How to jump high
Professionals and amateurs alike sooner or later set their sights on increasing their strength performance. If it is a game sport, development is primarily concerned with jumping ability. The height and force with which to jump directly affect the achievement of success in basketball, gymnastics, break-dance, volleyball.
To achieve the desired result and to jump as high as possible allows you to train explosive power – the ability of the muscles to push their own body weight to a certain height. Moreover, explosive power can be developed both for the arms and legs. It all depends on what muscle groups are paramount in a particular sport.
What muscles require development for jumping power?
Effective explosive strength training should clearly focus on certain muscle groups that are directly involved in jumping. These are the calf muscles and the quadriceps.
Extension of legs and pushing the body out are performed by the front part of the thigh. The calf muscle group is also important. Boxers pay special attention to its training, on which the power of impact depends.
The work of the muscles while pushing the body out represents the action of muscles such as the ankle, lower leg, and thigh. Their development should be of paramount importance. It should not be forgotten about the stabilizer muscles, which include the muscles of the back and abdominal press. Training the latter is of great importance in many guides and manuals.
The most common mistake made by many beginners, who decided to develop explosive power, is a firm belief that they have to train every day. But such an approach will not have the desired effect.
Required conditions.
The most effective and efficient programs for explosive strength are designed as part of bodybuilder training. They involve exercising three to four times a week , allowing the muscles to rest and recover. This makes it possible to avoid muscle strain, wear and tear and overtraining to achieve visible results.
To make the highest high jump you need to train hard and hard. Exercises for jumping ability must be performed systematically. Categorically not allowed to skip training or to make any self-indulgence. It should be borne in mind and the fact that there are several types of jumps in athletics. They differ in performance technique, but the result is the same.
To increase the height of jumps performed by a basketball or volleyball player, you should move away from athletics terminology and focus entirely on the exercises themselves, which are applicable to both competitive sports and to everyday life.
Training program
To increase jumping height in absolutely any sport, it is necessary, first of all, to improve one’s physical preparation. An athlete needs to be healthy, strong and resilient. Physiological well-being is the basis, without which it is impossible to effectively and properly perform training on the development of certain muscle groups.
Jumping rope
A popular and very simple exercise that is actively used in training by basketball players, gymnasts, boxers, volleyball players. Jumping with this accessible and easy to use sports equipment allows you to develop both calf and calf muscle groups.
Training with a jump rope should start from 15 and up to 20 minutes. Then, when the athlete feels more confident, the load is increased to half an hour. For the result to be noticeable, it is necessary not only to jump, but also to do it correctly. It is necessary to pull away from the floor (ground) with both feet, keeping the ankles as close to each other as possible.
If you do everything correctly, the effect will be noticeable in at least two weeks, maximum in a month.
Squats
The main exercise for bodybuilders, which is performed with weights. It is aimed at developing both the abdominals with the lower back muscles and the leg muscles. Only this exercise allows you to strengthen all the necessary muscle groups in order to jump really high.
When applied to sports such as gymnastics, volleyball, and basketball, squats for high jumps need to be varied by push-ups. Squatting, reaching a parallel line with the surface of the floor, it is necessary to jump out of the accepted position. Land quickly, and try to make the amplitude of the jump as large as possible.
Perform squatting at least 10-15 times, taking a break for 3-4 minutes.
Toe raises
Aimed at strengthening the calf muscles. Perform them until the calves are burned through so that the amplitude is maximal. It is recommended to do at least 20-30 repetitions. The last phase involves standing on the toes, and then a smooth descent on the heels.
The lifts should be performed smoothly, not jerkily. The weight is added gradually, in parallel with the increase in endurance. Once the athlete is ready, instead of lifts, he/she begins to perform toe buckles or take dumbbells in his/her hands.
