Top Five Exercises To Improve Jump Height

The ability to jump to a tall height is a highly-coveted ability in many sports, such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball.

Beyond those three sports, jump height often goes hand in hand with explosiveness. This explosiveness is valuable to many types of athletes, from sprinters to soccer players.

How do you go about increasing the height of your jump, and what are the exercises to improve jump height?

It certainly doesn’t happen overnight. However, with dedication, time, and the right exercises, you can truly add inches to your vertical jump.

How to Go About Increasing The Jump Height

Before we get into five of the best exercises to increase the height of your jump, let’s talk about how you need to approach said exercises for optimal benefit.

First, increasing your jump’s height isn’t solely about strengthening your muscles; it’s also about stretching them. In fact, stretching certain muscles that are responsible for explosiveness and vertical jump (Achilles tendon, calves, hamstrings, hip flexors) increases the muscle’s potential to produce power.

Flexibility is equally as important as strength.

Figuring out the best way to work in strength training of muscles critical to jumping within your pre-existing workout routine is necessary if you want to improve your jump height.

If you include routine stretching, you’ll only need to worry about strengthening muscles required for jumping

Let’s look at five of the best exercises to do just that.

Exercise #1: The Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat is an excellent way to develop power in each of your legs. It’s quite different than that of a normal squat, so performing it correctly might take some practice.

When performed correctly, however, it packs muscle mass on your quads, a pertinent muscle to develop for explosive power.

Here’s how to do them:

1. Stand in front of a bench that’s large enough and stable enough to accommodate your bodyweight.
2. Reach one of your legs behind you and place its toes on top of the bench you’re standing in front of.
3. Keeping your torso upright, descend your hips in a squatting fashion until the knee of the leg that’s extended touches (or is close to touching) the floor.
4. Rinse and repeat.

Exercise #2: Depth Jumps

Depth jumps are plyometric jumps performed by jumping on and off of a box.

The concept is simple yet effective; when performed for long enough periods of time in combination with other exercises, depth jumps can increase the power of your jump.

Try jumping off of the box, backward, before you jump onto the box. This forces your muscles to lengthen due to the impact of hitting the ground.

Jumping onto the box will shorten them. This switch causes your muscles to generate more force. Over time, this can help improve the height of your jump.

Exercise #3: Tuck Jumps

A tuck jump is the simplest exercise on the list; simply lower your butt to the ground as if you’re about to perform a squat, and jump as high as you can while bringing your knees to your chest (to the best of your ability).

Tuck jumps are critical to developing explosive power.

They can also drive your form in the right direction; landing a tuck jump requires stability and proper foot placement. Your knees will thank you.

The best part about tuck jumps – you can do them anywhere (as long as your head doesn’t hit the ceiling).

Exercise #4: Jumping Lunges

The jump lunge is a leg-by-leg exercise that’s based on the classic lunge.

When performed correctly, jump lunges:

• strengthen your core and your legs
• help improve explosiveness
• help improve your body’s range of motion

All of the aforementioned things are quite important if you want to increase the height of your jump!

Here’s how to do a jumping lunge:

1. Start in a standing position, then bring your leg out in front of you while bringing your alternate knee to the ground, as if you’re starting a typical lunge.
2. Jump off of the foot that’s out front, taking care to land the jump with the foot that was previously behind.
3. Try and land as soft as possible. Repeat for as many times as you feel necessary.

Exercise #5: Trap Bar Deadlifts

Trap bar deadlifts are deadlifts performed with a trap bar, a hexagonal bar that reduces stress on your lower back and spine. If you don’t have access to a trap bar, then you can use a bar or dumbbells.

Deadlifts are effective for increasing the height of your vertical jump due to the muscles the exercise targets. The rapid, explosive pulling motion that’s required to lift the weight off of the ground adds to the effectiveness.

This movement builds explosiveness and trains your muscles to react quickly when exerted in a jumping manner.

Questions?

Trying out different exercises is key to improving and maintaining the body’s flexibility, which in turn can help with recruiting muscles efficiently.

If you’ve got any questions on the above, then please let us know (click for contact details). As always, if in doubt, contact a health professional so they can talk you through the best exercises for you.

Remember – Listen to Your Body!

Please remember to listen to your body. Get any aches and pains checked out sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer:

As with all information given for exercises and exercise programs, when using our exercise videos or information, please use your common sense and don’t do anything that will hurt you. By performing any fitness exercises, you are performing them at your own risk. PhysioFit Health will not be responsible or liable for any injury or harm you sustain as a result of information shared on our website or YouTube channel. This includes emails, videos, and text. Thanks for your understanding.