Tips On How To Jump Higher
Odds are that you are most likely a basketball or volleyball player if you are wondering how to jump higher. Some of the principles of vertical training can actually be applied to other actions such as sprinting but this article will focus on jumping. Ok, so you really want to be able to dunk or maybe get more kills or blocks playing volleyball. There is no doubt that learning how to jump higher can help your performance but how exactly do you go about it?
Well, don’t despair because if you have been trying to increase your vertical but have not seen the results you want the problem is most likely how you are training more so than the exercises you are doing. What do I mean by that? Well for example you may be doing set after set of calf raises or squats, training to failure or maybe squat jumps or depth jumps until you can barely walk the next day. While these are all pieces of the puzzle the trick is to have a plan and do things at the right volume and intensity.
Probably the most fundamental idea to familiarize yourself with is that you need to train your muscles to fire quickly if you ever hope to increase your vertical. Technically you want to train your fast twitch muscles in order to accomplish this. Therefore, you need to perform all your repetitions at a brisk pace and simply end your sets when you are unable to maintain that pace. By exercising until failure you are targeting your slow twitch muscles. Sure you feel like you are having a productive workout but vertical training is a little counter-intuitive in that respect.
The two major components of any vertical training program are plyometrics and weight training and you should not perform either to failure. Speaking of plyometrics it is very important that your strength base is fairly good before performing jumping drills of any type as your ligaments and joints will take a real beating if you don’t have sufficient strength. Ideally you want to be able to squat about 150% of your body weight before attempting any plyometric workouts.
One final tip is not to ignore nutrition. Any vertical program is very taxing and your body needs enough fuel to be able to cope. Probably the most critical factor is your caloric intake. Aim for approximately 15 calories for every pound of bodyweight. The second thing is to have enough protein in your diet because any vertical program is very hard on your body and you will be tearing down muscle that needs to be repaired to see any gains. About 30% of your total calories is recommended.
While these may seem like some basic guidelines for some; many people are not aware of the ideas discussed here.
