Exercises To Jump Higher - The One You Think Is The Best Exercise To Jump Higher May Not Be!

Finding proper exercises to jump higher is a poorly misunderstood subject much less finding the best exercise to jump higher.

However all efficient exercises to jump higher have this in common: your feet have to leave the ground as part of the exercise. These are termed plyometrics.

A word of caution: there are proper and improper ways to perform plyometrics. Unfortunately many athletes perform plys incorrectly. Even the best exercise to jump higher is of no help if done wrong. More on this below.

Another word of caution: non-plyometric exercises must usually precede plyometric exercises to jump higher, especially in the early stages. This makes your body tissues strong enough to handle the intense force from these drills.

It is important to note: if you have already sunk your teeth into some or all of these exercises and still cannot jump higher than a hippo, then one or both of two things could be the culprit: the program of exercises, or the way you do the exercises. More on this below.

For now, here are some drills vying for the title of the best exercise to jump higher:
1) Squat jumps or maximum height jumps
2) Depth dumps
3) Plyometric toe raises – similar to conventional toe raises, except you jump without bending your knees
4) Step-up jumps

Again, although these exercises to jump higher are great you may have a payback not quite in spades. One of the problems for such is the program itself.

**Click here for the ultimate program of exercises to jump higher - DOUBLE YOUR VERTICAL LEAP**


PROBLEMS IN A PROGRAM OF EXERCISES TO JUMP HIGHER

Scenario 1

Let’s pretend you have picked in your opinion the best exercise to jump higher, say squat jumps. You fall in love with squat jumps so much that you do them everyday, same routine, 2 sets of 15 with 2 minutes rest between each set.

You don’t put all your effort into doing each rep – you reach about 5 inches off your maximum vert during your workout. This is done for at least 10 weeks straight.

The verdict:

Five problems arise from this method.

1) you shouldn’t be doing the same plyometric exercises to jump higher daily. Leave 2-3 days rest in between sessions. However, you can do lower body plys one day and upper body plys (e.g., clap push-ups) the next.

2) Do not do the same routine week after week. You will at best gain 3 inches on your vert in weeks one or two and then plateau.

3) Taking longer than 10 sec to do your sets kills your jumping capacity even with the best exercise to jump higher. A set of 15 takes 1.5 times to twice as long. Anything greater than 10 sec fatigues the muscles. You do not want to fatigue the muscles while doing plyometrics. This shortchanges your results.

4) You need to perform your reps at near full capacity (about 95-100% maximum vertical) in order to get any benefit from even the best exercise to jump higher.

5) You need to do more than one exercise.

Scenario 2

You may have picked the best exercise to jump higher, but include other exercises too. You do three workouts per week, always leaving 2-3 days rest between sessions. You still do 2 sets, but with 7 reps for squat jumps. You also do jumping toe raises, 2 sets of 18. You leave 2 min rest between exercises.

By week 10, you have upped total amount of your reps, and decreased the amount of rest taken between exercises substantially. These exercises to jump higher are also done for 10 weeks straight.

The verdict:

This routine beyond the best exercise to jump higher produces greater gains. 7 reps of squat jumps and 18 reps of plyometric toe-raises are perfect since each set takes 10 sec or less.

However there are correct and incorrect ways of doing Scenario 2. Incorrect ways include:

a) to increase the total reps or decrease the rest up to a point that the muscles are too fatigued to benefit. Leaving only 10 sec rest between sets of exercises to jump higher is unsuitable for average athletes.

b) not leaving a break every 4-5 weeks. This method is too intense to continue for 10 weeks straight.

The proper way to perform Scenario 2 varies from athlete to athlete. Not to be cliché-ic, but the best exercise to jump higher for one man is definitely another man’s poison. You will have to find your potion of protocol in regards to sets, reps, rest and other factors.

Having stated this, almost all professional athletes can quadruple, quintuple or more the amount of reps without exceeding 10 sec and fatiguing their muscles! Although you won’t be able to do this now (and don’t attempt to do it now!!), you could one day if you are dedicated enough and follow the correct program implementing the above ideas. Hopefully this insight will inspire you and give you something to shoot for.


IN CONCLUSION – TAKE THE FIRST STEP

Some of you may implement the above knowledge and find that it will result, or has resulted, in anywhere between a 10-25 inch increase on your vertical.

Some others of you will find to need some extra help from purchasing an organized program implementing these ideas in a plan best suited for you beyond the best exercise to jump higher.

Purchasing such a program is not required to make that leap to Venus. However, I would strongly recommend purchasing one if one or more of the following applies:

1) You have never been known to be a good jumper, either in your or other people’s eyes

2) you have had experience with exercises to jump higher with little to no success

3) you are not organized – less organized folks have a tough time fitting things throughout their day and need an organized jumping program to meet their needs

4) you have had a tough time following someone else's (e.g., your coach's) program, or creating your own jumping program that works – one that goes beyond the best exercise to jump higher

5) you had tried to create your own program, but didn’t follow through totally, and therefore had poor results

6) you want to be assured (i.e., with a 95% probability) to gain at least 8-10 inches on your vert in as little as 8-10 weeks with a system going beyond the best exercise to jump higher.

If this option suits you, I would strongly recommend purchasing the VERTICAL PROJECT program. This is the OLDEST and MOST POPULAR AND SUCCESSFUL method to increase your vertical.

Also, read my review Increasing Vertical Jump: The Vertical Project - More Than Just Exercises To Increase Vertical Leap. This outlines my personal use of the system.

Many athletes have doubled their vertical within a year from first using it. About 95-97% of athletes can gain 8-10 inches on their vertical in two months.

**Click here for the ultimate program of exercises to jump higher - DOUBLE YOUR VERTICAL LEAP**