Vertical Jump Training

1. Get the knots out of your legs

Muscle knots—also called “trigger points”—are
everywhere in your body and restrict the length of
your muscle tissue, making them shortened and
weaker. Use a foam roller Opens a New Window. to
relieve these spasms, focusing on moving slowly
and stopping on tender spots until the knot
releases. Work on each of the following areas for at
least 30 seconds before switching legs:
Calves: Put the roller under your calf and rest your
other foot on the floor (or cross it over the top of
your shin to increase pressure). Roll from your ankle
to your knee.
IT Band: Lie on your side with the roller near your
hip and rest your other foot on the floor. Move the
roller along your outer thigh. You can increase
pressure by stacking your legs on top of one
another.
Quads: Lie on your stomach with the roller placed
under the front of your thigh. Roll up and down
from the bottom of your hip to the top of your knee.
2. Do Bulgarian split squats
Your legs give you power to jump higher. (Another
reason not to neglect your stems!) The Bulgarian
split squat will help build strength, while improving
your balance. To do it, stand a couple paces away
from a bench, and place your non-working leg on it.
The top of your foot should be on the bench. Hold a
dumbbell in each hand and stand erect with your
chest up. Descend until your back knee nearly
touches the floor. Using the heel of your lead foot
(the one that’s on the floor), push yourself back up
into a standing position. That’s one rep. Try doing 3
sets of 8 reps on each leg on your lower-body
workout day.
3. Practice depth jumps
A depth jump is performed by stepping off a box,
then exploding up immediately after landing on the
ground. This teaches reaction time and will help
your lower body muscles activate when you need to
catch air. Start by standing on a box that’s 6 to 8
inches off the ground. Step off. As soon as you touch
the ground, jump as high as you can, reaching your
arms overhead. Land softly in an athletic position.
Take a second to recover, then step back onto the
box, set yourself up, and repeat. Follow this
progression:
Week 1: 3×3 reps
Week 2: 4×3 reps
Week 3: 5×3 reps
4. Incorporate knee-to-feet jumps
You’re probably less familiar with this plyometric
move: knee-to-feet jumps.
How to do it: Come down to your knees and sit
back on your heels. Swing your arms to help create
momentum as you explosively jump up, driving your
hips forward and bringing your legs and feet directly
underneath you. Brace your body as you land in a
squat position with your arms out in front of you.
Lower back to the kneeling position, coming down
on one knee at a time.
5. Perform calisthenics every day to increase
flexibility. Calisthenics includes basic bodyweight
exercises that help build up your muscles. Because
you don’t need any equipment, you can do
calisthenics anywhere to build strength and agility.
To improve your vertical leap, do calisthenics that
target your leg muscles.
Some examples of calisthenics include push-ups,
jumping jacks, sit-ups, and lunges.
You can do calisthenics daily, but take at least one
rest day per week.
6. Stretch daily. Focus on leg stretches, such as
stretching through your heel and doing toe touches.
Not only will stretching help protect your body
during the rest of your workout, it will also improve
your jumping abilities by loosening your muscles.
7. Perform calf raises. Stand with your legs together.
Lift yourself onto your toes, then lower yourself
down. Move slowly to make the muscles work
harder.[2]
For better results, stand on the edge of a curb or a
step.
Start with 20 reps, increasing as the move gets
easier.
8. Do deep squats. Place your feet hip-width apart,
and keep your heels flat on the ground. Slowly
lower yourself as far as you can by simply bending
your knees while keeping your back erect and your
neck straight. Lift back up to starting position.
Your thighs should go below your knee when doing
a deep squat.
A good squat should feel like it's working the entire
lower half of your body, as well as stretching the
core muscles around your back and abdomen.
Start out with 3 sets of 10 squats.
Do some squats while keeping your weight on your
tiptoes. This will help you strengthen your ankles.
9.Do lunges. Start in a standing position. Take a big
step forward, bending your front knee. Lean your
body forward with your front knee lined up
vertically above your ankle. Rise back to a standing
position. Alternate your legs.
Do 3 sets with 10 reps on each side.
10. Stand on one leg. Alternate standing on each of
your legs so that your ankles become stronger. This
may help to prevent you from getting an ankle
injury when you land your jumps. Stand up straight
and focus on an object straight ahead of you. Bring
one foot off of the ground and hold this position
until your leg starts to get tired. Then switch your
weight to the other leg and repeat this process.