How to Increase Your Vertical Leap in Three Weeks

Improving the height and explosiveness of your vertical leap in a short time such as three weeks is a taxing endeavor and requires commitment to a routine that is muscle and content specific. Cross-training and endurance training is important to cultivate the flexibility and muscular endurance necessary to enact real change in jumping.

Things You'll Need

  • Jump rope
  • Barbell
  • Weight vest
  • Basketball
  • Jump boxes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Jump rope every day. This exercise increases the speed and endurance of the calves, which are crucial to jumping ability in general. Set goals of jumping rope for increasing amounts of time and do it throughout the day whenever an opportunity presents itself. Between sets at the gym or when running long distance, short bursts of jumping rope can vastly improve your ability to jump.

    • 2

      Do weighted calf raises. Using a barbell -- with an appropriate amount of weight for your fitness level, of course -- lift onto your toes, holding at the top of the motion for a three count and lowering slowly. As the calves can be worked out with greater frequency than other muscles, increasing the amount of weight and number of repetitions is imperative. Additionally, you can wear a weight vest when performing calf raises and other day-to-day activities.

    • 3

      Perform squats. These are straightforward and can be done in a variety of ways as well. With a barbell on your back -- fitness level appropriate weights as well -- lower until your thighs are parallel with the floor and then return to the top of the position. This can also be done with an addition of a weight vest or simply using your own body weight.

    • 4

      Do backboard touches. This basketball court exercise is a tried and true method of training your calves to reach for a particular distance. Holding the basketball over your head, bounce the ball off the back board and then jump up to grab the rebound and throw the ball against the backboard once more. Repeat this, jumping as frequently and as high as you can each time.

    • 5

      Use jump boxes. These are a basic plyometric apparatus that can be constructed in a factory or made from cement blocks. The point of the exercise is to create towers of increasing height and leap onto each without staying on the ground for very long. Once your feet touch the ground, you should be leaping once more.