If you are looking for help with increasing your vertical jump, you are not alone. Many athletes have been in your shoes at one point in their career, and have found successful techniques to help them get a higher vertical distance. The best way to achieve this goal is to create a strength training program that focuses on your legs.
There are many different kinds of strength training techniques, but this article will focus on three particular types: reactive, limit, and explosive strengths. Despite what many famous trainer, coaches, and players may say, there is no way to get a higher vertical distance overnight. It takes consistent work. The exercise examples that follow are by no means all of them; they are simple a few select ones to give you an idea of what direction to go.
Reactive strength describes how your muscles react, i.e. how they respond to stretching and contracting with each exercise repetition. It is a quick response and not often one that people think about. Using jumping as an example, you know that in order to get a higher distance you must first squat slightly compared to jumping while you are in a normal standing position. Your muscles react to the squatting and then quickly respond as you lift off.
Limit strength is basically just the limit of your body and your strength. It is related to the highest level of output force that you, or rather your muscles, can produce. You can keep track of your limit strength by comparing the distance of your jumps with the time that it takes you to get from a still position all the way back to the still position.
Explosive strength is the term that is used to described the ability that you have to get to a specific height in the quickest amount of time. When applied to jumping, it is basically the force that is required for you to jump high from a plain standing position. You can consider explosive strength as the switch that you can turn on and off when you need to.
To build all of these strengths, you simply need a good series of exercises that will specifically target crucial muscles. These muscles include your glutes, lower back muscles, thigh muscles, and calf muscles. There are some basic exercises that you can add to your current training.
Jump roping is not just for cardio workouts anymore. There is a nifty aid that transforms this exercise into a great strengthening exercise: the ankle weight. Adding ankle weights can help increase the effort that it takes you to pick up your legs.
Squats are also a good choice. Again, adding weights will help you increase your strength. Instead of ankle weights that are useless here, you will use a curl bar with weights. The curl bar rests on your shoulders while you perform your desired reps. Also, in order to work the different muscles in your legs, you should change your toe positions inward outward, left and right, performing the same number of reps for each change.
You can also try combining your exercises. For example, you can combine squats with jumping to create a power jump. This combination of two exercises is really quite beneficial. You are assisting in helping the stretching and contracting of your muscles, as previously described.
Stair climbing is also a beneficial exercise. This exercise is only beneficial when there is a substantial amount of stairs for you to run up and down. You can also use a stair climbing machine if you don't have access to stairs in the amount that is needed.
There are also simple things that you can get yourself involved in outside of your normal training that will be of great benefit to you. You can find a gym or training center that offers a rock climbing wall. While this activity has a slower pace, it is still a great workout for your muscles. Additionally, you can also try some hiking if you have the ability. The changing terrain, such as hills and slopes, can give you an excellent workout for your legs.
Strength training is about building power. In order to get a higher vertical jumping ability, you need to have the power in your muscles to take you there. Ignoring the crucial muscles that have been named in this article will not help you in any way. In the same respect, your training should not be limited to the muscles that you use for jumping. You should be making sure that you are giving equal attention to your whole body so that you can be the best athlete possible.
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