subject: Learn How To Jump Higher By Strengthening Glutes And Quads [print this page] Is jumping a glute or quad activity? Glutes, hamstrings, and quads are the prime movers of the vertical jump. People jump in a different ways and squat in different ways. If the knees are bending over the toes, then it is more of a quad dominated squat, but if the knees are back with the bottom more out, then it is a glute dominated squat. In jumping, it is much the same theory and you can determine where the power is coming from by the way that the jump is started and where the most power comes from during the vertical jump.
Heavily quad dominated jumpers are more prone to knee issues, unless they have great stability and quad strength, as well as take off and landing technique. You will gain inches by increasing strength in quads, hamstrings, and glutes, as well as in core stability, shoulders, and calves. The prime movers are in the quads, hamstrings, and glutes and no individual athlete is probably going to be using the same percentage of that in their vertical jump. You will see athletes using more quads, more hamstrings, more glutes, and a different combination of each. This largely depends upon the athlete and the power in their body.
Some athletes and trainers say that the vertical jump is completely derived from the glutes. Their primary function is extending the hip and if you are sprinting, they are driving your leg horizontally to move. When you contract your quads and extend your knees, you are moving up and down. When you use the glutes and quads together, it allows your body to coil much like a spring - bouncing upwards, which is essential in increasing your vertical jump to allow you to learn how to jump higher.
If you have imbalances, such as you are driving a lot of power through your glutes, it is going to affect your jump. Being able to balance and augment the power with your quads, you are able to drive more power into the ground and drive more power into your body upward into the air. That is why it is important to remember that all of these muscles are important to learn how to jump higher.
The lesson here is that quads are important. They are an important part of vertical jumping. Glutes are important. Glutes are at the center or core of your gravity. This is where you derive many of your athletic movements. Focus on both quads and glutes to augment your power and allow you to jump higher. Most everyone needs more explosive quads, glutes, and hamstrings to help them to increase their vertical jump and be able to jump higher and more powerful.
