Increasing your vertical jump can aid your performance in a variety of sports and other athletic activities. Exercises to increase your jump generally revolve around flexibility, Olympic lifts and plyometric exercises. Trainers' workout charts recommend certain combinations of these exercises.
Joint Flexibility
Trainer Josh Henkin of the Body Building website links vertical jumping ability primarily to the hips and lower back. While strength is important, an inability to comfortably achieve a full range of motion can lead to an increased risk of injury and inefficient use of the joint and muscles involved. Both static and dynamic stretching exercises are recommended to increase the flexibility of these joints. Static stretches involve stretching and holding a position for a period of time. In contrast, dynamic stretches involve stretching through a joint's range of motion, an example of which is stepping over hurdles to stretch the hips.
Plyometric Exercises
Plyometric exercises are designed to increase power, defined by the website Hoops U as a combination of speed and strength. Related to vertical jumping ability, these exercises target your ability to jump as high as possible over as many repetitions as can be accomplished within a set time frame. While very effective, these exercises are also demanding. In order to avoid damage to muscles, tendons and joints, plyometric exercises should be added to your exercise routine only after strength-training.
Olympic Lifts
Olympic lifts, such as the overhead squat, the clean-and-jerk and the drop snatch, are all effective at helping to increase your vertical leap. According to trainer Henkin, this can be attributed to the hip strength required to accomplish these low-repetition, explosively powerful exercises. While highly effective, these exercises can be dangerous if performed without proper training and supervision. With such training from an experienced weightlifting coach, however, Olympic lifts can be performed safely without an elevated risk of injury.
Body Building's Program
The website Body Building has published a 21-week training program that incorporates Olympic lifts, joint flexibility and plyometric exercises. This program involves three cycles, each with a different focus. To help guide your progress, charts lead you through each week's workout and tracks your progress.
Hoops U Program
Tony Alfonso of Hoops U has designed a workout designed to increase your vertical jump based entirely on a series of 15 plyometric exercises. With examples including standing long jumps, box jumps, reverse lunges and squat jumps, these exercises require little specialized equipment and can be performed almost anywhere. Included in his six-week, 12-session program is a workout chart designed to track your progress, with recommended goals for each week's performance.
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