subject: Can Plyometric Exercises Increase Vertical? [print this page] Basketball players always strive to become better in characteristics like agility and speed as well as skills like dribbling and jumping. One of the most important things that your training exercises will focus on will be to increase vertical.
It is important for your workouts to target certain muscles that are used to improve your jump. And two of the muscles are the calf and quadriceps muscles. The power in the jump comes from the quadriceps muscles which are found in front of the thigh. And the calf muscles are the muscles that lift you off the floor. Indeed, being able to target these muscles in your workouts could surely increase your jump.
One of the types of exercises that basketball players do is weight training which is for increasing strength. Always remember that strength is vital to increase your jump.
In weight training, exercises like wall sits, leg extensions, and leg press workouts enable people to target the quadriceps muscles. Using a leg press machine, you can do the leg press workout. Here, you will be pushing weights upwards or outwards while maintaining control of your body. On the other hand, while sitting flat on a chair or bench, you will do leg extensions. Then, you will lift weights upwards. In the wall sit, you would be using your body weight instead. Start by sitting against the wall until your quadriceps muscles are at a 90-degree angle and are parallel to the floor. Maintain this position until you feel the muscles start to burn. And if you want, you can put additional weights on your lap. These three exercises surely increase the strength of your quadriceps muscles.
Toe raises and running sprints are two weight training exercises which target the calf muscles. For the toe raises, stand against the wall and maintain your balance. With one foot, push your body up and down. Remember that your weight should be at the balls of your feet. Continue the toe raises until you begin to feel a burning sensation. Another exercise is the running sprints which are done faster than running. Here, you should also have periods of rest in between sprints. The distance for running sprints is usually 400 to 800 yards and the rest in between these sprints should be walking for twice that distance.
These are only some examples of exercises that you could do to target the essential muscles which can increase your jump. Aside from weight training, many athletes also do plyometric training. With plyometric training, you will enhance your speed, power, strength, and agility. With plyometrics, your muscles will be trained to create lots of force in a very short time. Plyometrics is done by different athletes who are striving to increase their jump.
There are different types of exercises which you can do to increase your jump. The best way to know which forms exercises can really increase vertical, you need to purchase the Jump Manual. With this manual, I learned about the various effective exercises and how to properly execute them.
