Reaching greater heights is not at all difficult. In fact, there is a common misconception that a lot of people have. They think that they are born to fly, and if they're not, there's nothing they could do. This is false, as the muscles involved in jumping can be trained to perform well. Your vertical is determined by the force you apply when you contract your leg muscles against gravity.

If you want to be able to add inches to your jump height in a week, you need to focus on two muscles: your quads and you calves. Remember, before doing these exercises, you should warm up and stretch your body for about 5 minutes.

A simple workout for your calf muscles is to walk around the room on your tiptoes for about 20-30 minutes. You can also walk backwards on your tip toes, as this targets another leg muscle group. Clich? as it may seem, you can jump higher by actually trying to jump higher! Leap for as high as you can about 100 times a day.

In order for you to jump higher, bend your hips and knees and straighten them. Perform leg presses while lying flat on your back, or sideways while sitting on a chair, or flat against the floor when you squat in an upright pose.

You can strengthen your muscles by undergoing workouts which apply great resistance to your muscles, such as lifting weights. Create a lifting schedule. Lift a moderate amount of weights on Monday, a light amount on Wednesday, and a heavy amount on Friday. After finishing any sport practice, say, on Monday, perform two sets of the heaviest weight that you can carry while squatting for 15 times.

Come Wednesday, pick lighter weights and carry them while performing squats, three repetitions each in ten sets. By Friday, use the heaviest weight that you can carry while squatting ten times. Add more weight to this and squat an additional six times. Add another weight and squat an additional three times.

It is important to listen to what your body tells you. Recovery is essential in giving your muscles a break so they can perform at their optimum. When your muscles are feeling sore and tight, skip your weightlifting routine. Don't force it as you may cause injury to your muscles. Remember, for you to jump higher, you need to train and rest your muscles accordingly.