How to Increase Vertical Jump by an Inch

A vertical leap is usually defined as a person's ability to raise her center of mass above the ground by jumping. Vertical jump is traditionally measured by standing next to a wall and jumping as high as possible, touching the wall with the hand at the highest point. That point is then compared to the highest point the jumper can touch from a standstill, and the difference is her vertical jump. Vertical jump is an important ability in sports like basketball and football, and can often be increased by an inch or more with proper weight training, fitness and health habits.

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut unnecessary calories out of your diet. Eating a healthier diet with fewer calories will put downward pressure on your body weight. Having low body fat helps increase vertical jump.

    • 2

      Do at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three times a week. Examples of cardio exercise are running, cycling, swimming and using an elliptical machine. Cardio exercise will help burn calories with will help reduce body fat.

    • 3

      Lift heavy weights with your major leg muscle groups three times a week, focusing on working the muscles till exhaustion. Good exercises for increasing a vertical are squats, leg curls and calf raises. You should aim to lift weight that is around 60 to 90 percent of your maximum strength at two to 10 repetitions. Working out until your muscles are completely fatigued will help spur your body to increase the strength of your muscles.

    • 4

      Increase the amount of weight you use for each of your lifts as your strength improves over time. For instance, if you are able to do more than 10 repetitions of a certain exercise, you should increase the weight for the next workout.

    • 5

      Continue this workout and diet regimen for several few weeks. You should see improvement in your vertical leap, especially if you were not working out before.