Increasing Your Jump Is Easier Than You Think

Many sports require a strong vertical jump. Athletes of all types look to increase their jump. Is it difficult to increase one’s vertical jump?

Several approaches will help with increasing the vertical jump. To start, let’s look at weightlifting. The areas to focus on are the hips, quads, glutes, and calves. Squats and lunges are good. The leg press, hack squat, and calf raises are also helpful. Also good to do are ballistic lifts, or the lifts done in the Olympics, better known as the power clean, and the snatch.

Next, a good way to focus on improving the vertical jump is to practice jumping. Plyometrics for the lower body area are good for this as they focus on speed, power, and quickness. It is important to have the proper strength to do plyometric exercises such as depth jumps, resisted jumping, and assisted jumping.

A good practice is to stretch, followed by plyometrics, then weightlifting. It is a good idea to do plyometrics before weightlifting so your muscles are not worn out from lifting weights. If you lift three days a week, do plyometrics twice a week on the same day you do lower body lifting, to allow your body the best recovery. Doing plyometrics twice a week is enough if you lift three times a week.