There are many sports--basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, tennis and baseball, just to name a few--where a vertical leap is of the utmost importance. If you play any of these sports, or if you just want to improve your vertical leap, follow these suggestions.
Step 1
Wear some extra weight. Wear a weighted vest, ankle weights, a hyper gravity belt or a combination of all of these (see Resources). Wear these devices while you go about your normal daily activities.
Step 2
Work your upper legs. The upper legs include the quadriceps on the front of the thighs and the hamstrings on the back of the thighs. Strengthening both of these muscle groups can help increase your vertical leap. Some exercises for this include squats, lunges, leg presses, step-ups and hamstring curls.
Step 3
Work the calves. Powerful calf muscles are important for lifting off the ground when you leap. You can strengthen them by doing calf raises on stairs, wide stance calf raises and farmers' walks, which are done by walking across the floor on your tip toes while holding heavy dumbbells.
Step 4
Start jumping rope. Rope jumping is a cardiovascular exercise that tones the upper back, shoulders, arms and core; it can dramatically increase your vertical leap. To get a more intense effect, use a weighted jump rope (see Resources).
Step 5
Do some plyometrics. Plyometrics are exercises that involve a fast shortening and lengthening of the muscles with an explosive contraction. Some examples are box jumps, stair hops, leaping lunges, butt kicks and squat jumps (see Resources).
Tips and Warnings
- A hyper gravity weight belt is worn around the waist to add resistance to your body. It does not place any pressure on the shoulders or back.
- If you wear ankle weights and experience pain in your knees, use the other added resistance tools.
Things You'll Need
- Weighted vest
- Ankle weights
- Hyper gravity weight belt
- Jump rope
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