Do you want to increase your vertical jumping?

By Amit Rosman

You know you need to exercise and practice to increase your vertical jumping. But do you know which exercises make a difference? Do you know how to exercise smarter so that you actually see results? Do you know how not to get burned out, or at least not too soon? Read on for some helpful tips on how to do vertical jumping exercises correctly.

Do Your Warm Ups. Rather than jumping right into your exercise routine, you should always do some stretches to warm up your legs first. Many of the warm up stretches swimmers do are also perfect for jumpers. You can also run up and down stairs or jump rope for several minutes to get your muscles warmed up. These are also effective for inclusion in your regular training regime.

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.

Optimize muscle. While you don't need to be a body builder or Mr. Olympics to be a great vertical jumper, you do need a fit, toned, well-shaped body to power your jumps. You will want to have a speedy metabolism, low body fat, and strong bones and muscles. When you have more muscle, you also burn more calories when you exercise. When you burn more calories, you have the energy to fire your vertical jumps and reach new heights.

Looking for some specific, but easy exercises to include in your vertical jumping program? Here are a couple simple but effective ones to try.

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.

Deep knee bends. Begin from a standing position. Lower yourself slowly to your hunches while keeping your back straight. Then, just an inch before you hit a completely relaxed position down low, slowly raise yourself back up to a standing position. Do this counting four on the way down and four on the way back up to complete one rep. Begin with 15 reps a day and slowly increase to more reps each week. Besides powering your legs, this exercise actually tones your thighs and legs as well. - 29951

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