Now before I start, let me just say I am not against using programs that show you how to jump higher, or increase your vertical jump. In fact, I am actually very much for them and I will also show you a website I used that helped me a lot.



First things first, make sure you do a proper warm up, the better you do this the quicker your recovery rate will be for your next jumping exercise session. You can jog around, stretch your muscles or even walk up and down the stairs. Anything is good enough as long as you warm up your muscles. If you don't, well you could seriously injure yourself.

OK, now we got the boring stuff out of the way, I'm going to let you into a little secret and give you the top 6 exercises that I used to do regularly to increase my vertical jump to professional standards.

Toe Raises: Stand on a flat surface with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands at your sides. If you need to, place a chair in front of you and rest your hands on the chair back for added balance and support. Then push up from your heels, raising them off the ground until you are on the top of your toes. Hold for 3 seconds before coming back down on your heels. Beginners should start by performing three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Gradually increase the number of repetitions to 20 to 30 as you build muscle.

Toe Raises with weights: You can do exactly the same exercise as above but with weight. I wouldn't recommend heavy weights but remember to always start off light.

Deep knee bend: Stand with your feet approximately shoulder width apart. Look straight foreword and place both arms in front of you. Then slowly and under complete control bend down until your hamstrings touch your calves. Push off of your heels and drive yourself back up to the starting position. Now flex your quads with all your might and repeat.

Deep knee bend Jump: Be standing. Crouch down as described above but fairly quickly, almost touching your bottom to the ground, then explode upwards as high as you can. The moment you land, immediately crouch and launch back up again. Do this 15 times, and when you can, increase to 20, 30.

Jumping Rope: This is definitely one of the best jumping exercises out there, just get hold of a jumping role and do it whilst watching TV.

Stomach Crunches: Lie on the floor with your legs bent, your feet flat on the floor. If you prefer, you can keep your legs bent at a 90 degree angle so that the bottom of your feet are vertical. Place your hands on the back of your head, or if you prefer, cross them over your chest. Lift your shoulder blades off the ground moving your elbows towards your knees. Don't try to lift your whole back - just your shoulder blades. Then squeeze your abs for a second and then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat steps 3 - 5 until you've completed the desired number of reps.

The steps above are the foundation to any training you do to increase your vertical jump. Each one is designed to increase your fitness and strength in every core muscle in your leg before you take yourself to the next stage.