Jumping higher requires a combination of technique and different types of strength.To jump your highest, you'll need to work a variety of muscles, and train them in different ways. Understanding the different types of strength used in jumping and examples of exercises for each will put you on the path to increasing your vertical leaping ability.
Limit Strength Exercises
Limit strength exercises have you lift your maximum weight or perform a resistance exercise at the maximum you can do for one repetition. Limit strength exercises build muscle, rather than train them to move faster or jump higher. Once you build muscles, you can then train them for a specific use.
An example of a limit strength exercise is the deadlift. Standing in front of a barbell with the maximum weight you can lift, bend forward, slightly bending your buttocks out and knees down and grasp the bar. Then, lift the weight up to your knees as you stand up straight, using your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Keep your torso straight and use all leg muscles to prevent back injury.
A box squat is another limit strength exercise. Sitting on a box with you your knees even with or below your hips, stand up, lifting a heavy barbell off a rack, using only your lower body. Experiment with different box heights and little or no weight to gauge your balance before you try box squats with heavy weights.
Explosive Strength Exercises
The maximum effort you can give in one quick, powerful movement is your explosive strength. Unlike limit strength exercises, you do explosive strength exercises quickly. An example would be a sprinter exploding out of the blocks at the start of a race.
An example of an explosive strength exercise is the standing box jump. Standing behind a box or bench with one leg on the box. Your knee should not be higher than your hips. Using the leg on the box, push yourself as high as you can into the air. Repeat this exercise six to eight times, then switch legs. A variation of this exercise is the sitting box jump, which has you sitting on the box to begin the exercise, then jumping up, using both legs.
Reactive Strength Exercises
Reactive strength comes from the coordination of two opposing movements, done by two muscles or muscle groups working together to produce a result. An example for jumping would be the basketball player who bends his knees before jumping up for a slam dunk, or a tennis player bending down, then jumping off the ground as she serves. These up-and-down combinations are also called plyometric strength movements. Think of them as stretching a rubber band to increase tension before letting it go; the "snap-back" effect shoots the rubber band farther because of the prestretch.
A reactive strength exercise would be a box jump, which has you standing on a box or bench, jumping off, then jumping as high as you can into the air as soon as your feet touch the ground and you bend your knees. The key to this exercise is the downward knee bend as you hit the floor, just before you push off the ground.
Another reactive strength exercise is skipping with high knees. Skip the length of a gym or straight part of a track, bringing your knees as high up to your chest as you can. Keep your feet off the ground as much as possible while doing the exercise.
With reactive strength exercises, you can do 10 to 12 repetitions per set.
References
- BodyBuilding.com: The Best Exercises for Developing Speed & Vertical Jump
- GymJones: Relative Strength - The Importance of a Positive Power-to-Weight Ratio
- BodyBuilding.com: Explosive Strength
- Vertical Jump Training: Understanding Plyometric Training Exercises To Improve Vertical Jump
- Vertical Jumping: Vertical Jumping Exercises
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