Workouts That Increase Your Vertical Leap

Choosing which workouts will optimize your vertical leap is important for your success. Isometric workouts that only bulk up your muscles do not improve your vertical leap. Plyometric exercises, or those which have an explosive or actual jumping component to them, build up your strength and your overall power by focusing on how much weight you can push in the least amount of time possible. Although stretching and general fitness workouts are a prerequisite, plyometric workouts are the ones designed to increase your vertical leap.

  1. Slalom Jumps

    • In this plyometric workout you stand with both feet together on the same side of a line. Jump across the line back and forth without touching it with your feet as fast as you can. To vary this workout, jump with both feet together across the line diagonally back and forth as if you were jumping over a basketball from side to side. Imagine the basketball instead of using a real one to avoid slipping and injuring yourself. A second variation of this plyometric workout is to do the jumping with one foot at a time as fast as you can. You must land on that same foot over the line.

    Box Jump

    • This plyometric workout entails using various sizes of boxes. Choose a wide but short box to begin. Stand in front of it with your feet shoulder width apart. Align your knees over the middle of your feet, which are pointed forward. As you draw in your navel, squat down and use an arm swing while you jump in the air and then land on the center of the box. You must land on the balls of your feet with your knees flexed and your feet pointing forward. Remain a few seconds in this position and then repeat. As you become proficient in this workout, gradually increase the height of the boxes.

    Plyometric Hops

    • Plyometric hops are intensive workouts that can be stressful to joints and ligaments. Doing these exercises on a padded surface or carpet or with padded insoles in your shoes is recommended. All hops should be done at maximum speed. No-arm hops entail hopping with arms held behind the head and lifting the legs until they touch the chest before pushing them explosively downward. Do lateral hops by jumping laterally over a soft object anywhere from 8 inches to 2 feet in height.

      Split leg hops work the lower body muscles. Jump in the air, splitting your legs, and land with legs close to a right angle. Double leg hops are less stressful to the body. Jump in the air with feet together and aim for maximum distance. Ankle hops use both feet together and only the calf muscles.

      Power skipping is exaggerated skipping using maximum power. Bring both arms up each time your leg rises in the air. Finally, rim jumping is reaching up with one hand as you jump as high as you can. Alternate your hands each time.