How To Jump Higher

The human body is an amazing thing to behold.  It can adapt itself to almost any situation and constantly can do new things better and more efficiently.  One of these things is jumping.  There is a general misconception that if you are not naturally a high jumper, you will not be able to change that and you will forever have a short vertical.  This simply is not true.  As long as you are incorporating the right exercise and have a good strategy, you too can learn how to jump higher.

One of the most important things to remember about learning how to jump higher is that this is going to be a commitment on your part.  None of the work and exercises that you do will matter if you do not dedicate yourself to doing the work every day. 

Now that you have decided to put forth the effort, one of the best exercises that you can do is a jump squat.  This is where you will stand on the floor with your feet shoulder width apart.  Next, you will want to bend your knees to the point that your thighs are parallel to the floor.  From this position, you will forcefully jump up as high as you can.  The key to this exercise is to jump up explosively and get your muscles used to that "quick release" feeling.  Once you have been doing this for a while, you can certainly add dumbbell weights in your hands to get more resistance in your legs.

Another helpful exercise is jump roping.  Not only will this help you learn how to jump higher, but it will give your body a complete workout.  Jumping rope can help develop your cardiovascular systems and also tone your upper body muscles.  It will also condition your leg muscles, which are key to jumping higher, and also work out the muscles in your feet and ankles. 

Jumping higher does not only come from your leg muscles, it is truly developed by all the muscles in your body coordinating together to propel you higher up in the air.  So it is extremely important to work on all your muscles groups, your abdominal muscles included. focus on general exercises and strategy to be applied