TRY THIS WORKOUT AND JUMP HIGHER LIKE MICHAEL JORDAN
Michael Jordan is perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. So what made him so great? Well, his 48″ vertical jump didn’t hurt. In fact, Michael Jordan’s vertical leap gave him a significant advantage over his competition. He could easily pull down rebounds, raise up to block shots, and throw down some powerful dunks. I can’t promise you that you will be dunking like Jordan, but if you implement the proper training program you CAN significantly increase your vertical leap.
When a person jumps, the three major muscle groups involved are the quads, hamstrings and lower back. Well, what about the calves you may be asking….they really don’t play a large part. Try this test out for yourself if you don’t believe me.
Stand in place with your feet flat on the ground. Do not bend your knees and jump up as high as you can. Alright,….well I’m guessing you didn’t jump very high. That would be because when you try to jump that way your body is only able to use the calves. Ok, repeat the test again but this time take a deep knee bend. Are you done? This time you should have jumped much higher because you are using your large muscle groups in your legs.
In reality the quads, hamstrings and lower back are responsible for about 80% of your leaping power. So it would make sense to base the majority of our training on these muscle groups. Here are a few exercises that I recommend…
HEAVY Squats – Notice I said the word “HEAVY”. If you are trying to improve your vertical use heavy weight and no more than 8 reps. Squats are hands down the best overall exercise you can do to improve your vertical leap. If you look at the squat motion you can easily see that it closely resembles the motion you use when you are preparing to jump. This exercise hits all the right muscle groups.
Sprints – Running sprints has several advantages. They will increase your speed, build your leg muscles, and improve your vertical jump. You can perform sprints anywhere, you don’t have to take time out to go to the gym. You can easily make them harder as well by running up a hill if the flat land sprints become too easy or boring.
Jumping rope - You can use the jump rope pretty much anywhere and it will help your reflexes and improve your cardio. If you haven’t done it for a while you will quickly see that jumping rope is a great workout. Although, if your workouts start to become easy, you can add some ankle weights to make them more difficult.
Box Jumps – Box jumps are a basic plyometric exercise that you can do to improve your vertical leap. You don’t have to have the professional boxes to perform them either. Basically anything will do. Jumping onto and off of a tall bench works well. Just remember to jump up again as soon as your feet hit the ground and EXPLODE UP as high as you can.
Heel and Toe touches - With your feet shoulder width apart, jump as high as you can and lift your heels toward your butt. Now while you are in the air touch your toes. Land, jump again and touch your heels. If you master this and want to mix it up, to increase the difficulty try to touch your toes and then your heels before you land.
An area that is commonly overlooked is the individual’s jumping form. It is easy to gain a quick 2-3 inches on your vertical just by implementing the proper jumping techniques. Trust me, I can say this from experience because I have seen it in myself.
Want to find out more about Michael Jordan’s Vertical and how you can increase your vertical leap? Then visit Brayden Fisher’s site at: www.40inchvertical.net for the best vertical leap exercises and workouts.
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Tagged With basketball, basketball shoes that make you jump higher, exercise, fitness, how to jump higher basketball, How To Jump Higher For Basketball, how to jump higher in basketball, jump higher basketball, jump higher for basketball, jump higher in basketball, Michael Jordan, Sports, Vertical Jump
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