It's possible to significantly increase how high you can jump by participating in consistent training. To increase your vertical jump, you have to increase your leg strength and leg power. Leg strength is how much force your legs can produce. Leg power is how quickly your legs can produce that force.
Weight lifting increases leg strength while plyometrics, or jump exercises, increase leg power. A training program that consists of a combination of strength training and plyometric exercises will garnish you a higher vertical jump.
Step 1
Jump rope for 10 minutes to warm up before every workout session. Jumping rope will increase your body temperature and prepare your legs for your workouts, and it also increases your leg power, because it requires your muscles to contract and explode you up off the ground immediately after impact.
Step 2
Complete strength training two to three days per week. Improvements in leg strength from just weight lifting have been found to increase vertical jump. Allow your leg muscles at least 48 hours of rest in between lifting sessions.
Step 3
Do strength-training exercises that develop the muscles involved in jumping. These muscle groups include the quadriceps, calves and glutes. Exercises that effectively develop these muscles are squats, lunges, step-ups and calf raises. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Step 4
Complete plyometric training two days per week. Plyometrics are much more strenuous on your muscles and require at least 72 hours of rest in between sessions. It's advantageous to schedule your plyometric days on the same days as your strength-training days. By doing this, your muscle groups get adequate rest on their days off.
Step 5
Do plyometric exercises that develop the muscles involved in jumping. Exercises that develop your leg power include box jumps, jump squats, lateral bounds and single leg jumps. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- You can structure your workout days that consist of both strength and plyometric training by doing one after the other. Or, you can superset the exercises, which would consist of completing one set of a strength-training exercise followed by one set of a plyometric exercise, and then rotating back and forth between the two until all of the assigned number of sets are completed.
- Land softly when completing plyometric exercises. Allow your knees and hips to give slightly as you land to soften the impact. During exercises where both feet land at the same time, make sure they strike the ground shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Landing with your feet too close together makes your knees susceptible to injury.
Things You'll Need
- Jump rope
- Weights
- Plyometric box
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