Plyometric Training Exercises: How To Jump Higher to Dunk
In hopes of improving my abilities, I recently added plyometrics to my daily routine. A long time ago, I experimented with different types of exercises to increase my vertical. Now that I’m using plyometrics training, I see a difference in my ability in vertical leaps and my legs are benefiting from the training. With plyometrics, you can learn to dunk and jumping higher, this program is a great teacher!
My vertical leap was an obsession in high school. Just as was the case with push ups, whenever our gym classes measured our jumping ability, I became a fiercely competitive animal. I remember that I was 2nd in the school at 34″ during my junior year. The school champion was able to leap 36″ and subsequently was part of the University of Connecticut basketball squad’s starting lineup. It seemed like a good idea to use plyometric training to improve my skills at vertical jumps. I tried a program called Air Alert II. The bottom line is that it taught me some rather bad habits.
The program called Air Alert II was nothing more than an overblown technique promising to increase your vertical leap by ten inches. It all sounds good as a teenager, but essentially it was a waste of $10 for a thin packet of paper. The program involved 5 different exercises: squat jumps, calf raises, step ups, leap ups, and burnouts. However, it wasn’t the exercises that made this program so terrible, it was the workout frequency.
Many such jump training programs involve five days of plyometrics, and Air Alert II was no exception, it was a big problem. The extreme nature of the exercises, three to four sets of fifty to one hundred reps each was awful. It’s great for building leg endurance but really just leads to over training. Also, what lends credence to the concept that completing 100 repetitions of a given exercise will indeed improve vertical leaping abilities?
Upward explosion is the key to vertical leaps. High rep training isn’t the best way to increase leg strength. Consider the theory behind the bench press exercise. Multiple sets of one to three reps really works and heavy weights build the muscle right. If you applied the principles of the above program, it would be like trying to increase your bench press by doing 100 reps with just the barbell. Perhaps you would gain endurance, but it is highly unlikely that you would build noticeable strength. In addition, you would never try to bench press every single day for 5 days straight.
Low rep plyometrics is the best method of increasing vertical leaping ability as well as building leg strength. The specific plyometric movement at issue will determine, at least in part, how many repetitions are advisable. Explosive power comes from using the reps to match the exercise. Some require ten to fifteen while others only need five. Regardless of the exercise, just remember to put in an intense effort. Push yourself by not doing simple things, but making them harder.
There are many definitions for plyometric training exercises, but the most accurate seems to be that they are intended to create more speed and power as you use them. This type of exercise is highly effective for increasing quickness and startling power. Indeed, those who concentrate on vertical leap improvement programs typically gain a faster time in the 40 yard dash too. It’s also a common misconception that calf muscles are the primary driver of a higher vertical leap. Try jumping without bending your knees and then try a normal jump. Bent knees improve the jump because of the quads and hamstrings, not just the calf muscles. Calves can assist somewhat, but in order to really gain forceful jumping ability, it is best to concentrate on the larger leg muscles.
Even if you have no interest in increasing your vertical leap or explosive power, in my opinion, plyometric training exercises are a great replacement for cardio. Intense effort also burns of fat by burning off glycogen. For me, plyometrics training is far more pleasant that working out on the elliptical or riding an exercise bike. I also like the fact that plyometrics training improves my leg strength without making my legs big and bulky. Regardless of what your specific exercise needs are, plyometrics can provide you with many benefits for your health and enhance your physical abilities while improving your heart function.
