Workout tips on jumping higher:

  • Jumping Rope – one of the best all around exercises to get you jumping higher
  • Standing calf raises anytime you are waiting in line for something – make the time pass faster while doing something productive for your jumping higher skills (tips – do it on one leg at a time for added difficulty)
  • Repetitive jumping – increases muscle memory used when jumping
  • Squats in the weight room – a great all around leg strength exercise that will target the quadriceps (the main muscles that help start jumping higher)
  • Hamstring exercises
  • Stair Climbing – find a place with a ton of stairs and run up them, preferably taking 2 steps at a time.  Concentrate on explosively jumping higher up the stairs.
  • Skipping – while it is something you haven’t done since kindergarten, it is a useful exercise for exercising some of the fast twitch muscles in your legs that other exercises miss (and we know that fast twitch muscles are the key to jumping higher)

Diet tips on jumping higher:

  • Lower your body fat percentage – increase lean muscle mass and/or decrease fat
  • Cut down on processed foods, junk foods, alcohol, candy, and other bad stuff
  • Increase your daily intake of quality protein (organic meats with no hormones; if beef, look for 100% grass fed)
  • Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workouts

Technique tips on jumping higher:

  • Jump everyday to build muscle memory
  • Practice jumping from both run-up and standing positions
  • From standing positions, practice both one and two legged jumping
  • Pay attention to the best jumping athletes you see on TV – literally try to steal their moves – watch closely, in slow motion if possible, everything they do

Overlooked tips on jumping higher:

  • Core strength – recent studies have shown that core strength is very important for both jumping higher and sprinting faster.  After a jumping higher workout, proceed with some abdominal work.
  • Stretching – one of the most commonly overlooked tips on jumping higher is stretching.  Spend at least 5 minutes after your jumping program stretching all of the muscles in your body.  Your vertical jump will thank you for it!
  • Strength Training Technique – please use proper form for any type of heavy lifting you perform.  Nothing is worse than having to temporarily abandon your training for jumping higher due to injury.
  • Recovery Time – don’t forget to give your body a proper amount of recovery time and rest after each of your training sessions

Take some time and apply the tips provided above – you’ll be jumping higher in no time!