Prerequisites For Any Vertical Jump Training Program
In order to jump higher and increase your vertical jump training, you must do the right exercises and know what you are doing. Some athletes are not ready to enter an intense program until they have achieved some basic fitness levels.
An athlete with adequate muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, good nutritious diet, muscle endurance, along with flexibility will be ready for starting some intense vertical jump training exercises. You will increase your fitness level by overloading your body with more intense exercises, but the overloading must be appropriate to your current fitness condition.
Training Exercises That Increase Your Fitness Level
1) Cardiovascular (or Aerobic) Exercises
Aerobic exercise (which is repetitive movement of large muscle groups over an extended period of time) will produce cardiovascular endurance. Examples of aerobic exercises include swimming, rope jumping, jogging, and playing basketball.
2) Increase Muscle Strength
Muscle strength is improved by applying resistance to a muscle group. Lifting weights is a good way of improving muscle strength. Calf exercises, squats, lunges, are some examples in increasing strength for jumping higher.
3) Increase Muscle Endurance
Muscle endurance is the ability of the muscle to repeat that movement over a period of time. Muscle endurance improves in conjunction with muscle strength. With regular exercise, your muscles burn energy more efficiently and endure overloading for longer time. Rope jumping, running long distance or for a long time, are some examples for building endurance.
4) Improve Joint and Muscle Flexibility
Joint flexibility refers to the range of motions, the joint can undergo as limited by the joint’s structure and surrounding connective tissues. Warming up and then stretching your calves, hamstring and quad muscles are important activity in preventing injuries and increasing your fitness level. Joint flexibility can also increase your vertical jump dramatically.
5) Nutritious Diet
A good healthy diet promotes faster recovery and is important for your body to repair itself. Avoid eating junk food or sugars, and make sure you diet includes protein, good carbs and fats, along with vitamins. Drinking plenty of water will also enhance your growth and ability to handle an increase load of exercises.
6) Remove Body Fat
If you are overweight, you should concentrate on building muscle and reducing that extra fat. Limiting your caloric intake, eating healthier foods and doing vigorous exercises will assist you in losing that excess weight.
Remember, this is the start of your jumping higher program. After you have reached a good fitness level, you can begin to do exercises to increase your vertical explosion. Those exercises are called plyometrics. Plyometric training will develop quick twitch muscle fibers needed to increase your vertical. Many athletes omit these exercises, resulting in them not drastically increasing their vertical jump.
