When trying to decide how we should do our bodyweight training we have to compare and contrast it will resistance training. Weighted lifts are often far harder than their un-weighted brothers. So for this reason you will often have to increase your reps for the bodyweight exercises. However more reps does not mean to do them forever. You still need to focus on the fact that you are training for explosion and not for power. Doing endless reps will train your endurance and not make you jump higher.

Slightly increasing the reps from say 3-5 to 7-9 will make a good improvement in the workout. Now since there is no weight you must focus on speed. Since we are not greatly improving the amount of strength we have we must focus on applying that strength as quickly as possible to get the result. So when doing squats or lunges you must concentrate on explosion up. Doing these amounts of reps with a explosion on each rep will make for a pretty rigorous workout.

With bodyweight exercises you need to police yourself when it comes to calling it quits. When you are resistance training it is usually failure to complete the rep that signals the end of the set. When you cant do any more your done. But with bodyweight lifts you can go for a much longer time and will need to focus on your form and explosion. When either of these start to falter it is usually a good sign you should move on to something else.

Technorati Tags: bodyweight training, how to jump higher, improve vertical, increase vertical, no weights

No weights? Well that’s ok, you can actually get a great vertical workout and get some awesome gains to your vertical without ever stepping into a weight room. While weights are recommended if you can get access to them, they are not the one stop shop for adding inches to your vertical. You should be doing some simple body weight training as well. Here are a few things you can do without any equipment that can tack on some gains to your vertical

No Weights, No Problem

While having some access to a gym would be preferable it is not absolutely necessary especially when starting. You will have to get into a weight room at some point as you progress with your vertical jump improvement. However when just starting your workouts we can get substantial gains by using plyometrics and some challenging bodyweight lifts.

The one most effective bodyweight lift is called the single leg pistol squat. Like wise it is also the hardest. This and other single leg lifts focus on the primary jumping muscles and are what you should focus o

n to get the most benefit out of your lifts. Other workouts such as singl leg squats, high step ups, and lunges are just a few that will benefit you. However the pistol squat should be your priority and should be mastered before moving on to other lifts.

The easier verision of the lift is called the pistol box squat. For this you simply stand on one leg and squat holding your other leg out in front of you and you arms parallel to the floor out in front of you. As you go down you will want to have a suitable platform to sit on about 3 feet or so off the ground. This will act as your box so that you can progress to a lower and lower stance.

Once box squats have become easy get rid of the box and do the pistol squat going as low as you can untill you can go all the way down to rock bottom before coming back up. These are excellent for balance and your quads and hamstrings will show great improvements in strength

Technorati Tags: how to improve your vertical, how to jump higher, improve vertical, vertical workout

So you want to increase your vertical jump? Well you came to the right place, because I have a few very simple exercises that will show you how to increase vertical height fast. Here is a simple workout program that will get you well on your way to jumping higher and improving your vertical.

1.The first step is to warm-up properly. You have to give your muscles a chance to warm up if you want to see the most return on your effort from your workout. Doing extensive leg stretches and going for a 5-10 minute jog is often the best way to do this.

2.Jumping rope should be part of you workout if it isn’t already. It is excellent for conditioning your lungs and heart and is an important step in how to increase vertical explosiveness.

3.Make sure you are incorporating sprints in your workout sessions. They will strengthen your legs which will add to your vertical jump

4.Running stairs is one of the best workouts you can get for you legs. First fun up a single flight of stairs one step at a time. Then walk back down the same flight and run up skipping a step or going two steps at a time. This may be lengthened to include several flights of steps in one trip up if you are looking for more of a cardio workout as well. Do this as many times as you can manage.

5.Sets of elevated jumps (next section)

6.Sets of Explosive jumps (later section)

7.Sets of Double jumps(later section)

8.You have to rest your muscles for them to grow. If you do this workout every day you wont see the results you are looking for. A good rule of thumb is one day on and one day off. However if you want to do it more than that make sure you take atleast 2 days off per week or you wont get the improvement to your vertical jump your looking for.

Elevated Jumps
1.Start by placing a platform or step bench on the ground, most gyms or fitness centers will have these available to you.

2.Start standing on the platform and jump backward to the ground. Concentrate on making the landing as soft as you can.

3.Immediately jump back up onto the platform with a bouncing motion

4.You should do 10 reps per set and 3-4 sets depending on your fitness level. There is a potential for injury as fatigue sets in so be careful jumping backwards. Ask a trainer to spot you if you feel its necessary.

Explosive Leg Jumps and double Jumps
1.Place your foot up on a secure platform, the higher it is the more difficult this will be so you can tailor the difficulty depending on your level. Just experiment to see what works best for you.

2.Jump and concentrate on exploding off the leg that is raised on the platform. While you are in the air scissor your legs so that you will come down on the opposite leg. Collect your balance and then repeat now that you have switched legs.

3.Once again do 3-4 sets of 10 reps.

Technorati Tags: excercises for jumping, how to jump higher, jump higher workout, steps to jump higher

Coaches and trainers have been learning about how athletes should train to reach peak performance levels for a very long time. The results are proof that there are some systems for training that get much better results than others. In fact small changes in the workout routine can sometimes have a drastic effect on the results you will see in your vertical leap. This means it is very important to take note of where you get your jump training information to make sure it is well supported and will get you the best results fast.

There are several things you can do to improve vertical leap. You can do weight training on your own at a gym, you can hire a personal trainer to help you out, or you can research the best vertical work outs on your own.

Its never been easier to learn how to improve your vertical quickly, easily, and efficiently. With the instant accessibility of the internet you are given a awesome opportunity to learn the secrets of the pros that pay thousands of dollars to keep a personal jump trainer on staff. And yet you can get access to a ton of that same amazing content for a lot less. No need to set up a training schedule with your trainer and you don’t need to spend countless hours working out in the gym.

You can get all your training information delivered to you instantly and you can start training now. It really is the best way to go about improving your vertical. Many programs out there are very affordably priced and get real results. Most make claims to improve vertical leap by 10inches or more! While you may look at that and think that is impossible or at the very least a whole lot.

It is very possible and while you may not get 10inches in the first week you can reach that goal over time. I have seen reviews where people have seen gains as much as 3-4 inches in there first few weeks. However it is

important to get the very best jump program and for that you can read my other articles that outline a good way to make sure you get the best one.

Most important thing to take from this article is that you shouldn’t try to train yourself. There are professionals and very experienced athletes that know the best training regimens that get fantastic results. There is no reason you should work yourself to death when you don’t have to. Don’t work harder, just work smarter. Hope you enjoyed the article and hope it offers some helpful advice

Technorati Tags: how to jump higher, improve vertical, jump higher, learn to jump