Jump Higher with Core Strength Exercises
By admin | September 10, 2009
One of the most important principles in sports training is that targeting a particular muscle group to improve on a certain athletic skill like vertical jumping is never enough. Toe raises or any other leg exercises aren’t the only things you should do in your higher jump training. The human body, after all, is made up of interdependent system of systems where each system may have essential or supporting roles on the functioning of another.
That is why targeting only a few muscle groups just to improve on a skill will not be a good idea especially if you have reached pro-level fitness and athletic status. To become a professional you need to train like one.
For the case of jump higher training, the correct programs are those that not only promote targeting a few muscle groups such as the leg muscle groups, or only a few aspects of athletic training, but those that promote targeting all muscle groups involved in the vertical jump process along with the support muscle groups that increase the ability of the body to withstand the rigors of training and avoid nasty injuries that could keep you from playing your favorite sports.
One such muscle groups that need to be developed along with the leg muscles are the core muscles. Why do you need to do this in your vertical training efforts?
The answer is based on the fact that the core muscles, which are made up of the muscles that are on the trunk and torso, is the center of any muscular activity. Any movement of the extremities will draw much of its strength from the center. The core muscles are the ones that stabilize the spine, abdomen, back and shoulders and this provides the necessary base for any powerful movement of the hands and legs.
Before you can execute those powerful and quick muscular leg movements that will ultimately translate to an explosive jump, your spine must first be stabilized, and must be solid and strong, because the more stability and strength in the core, the more power the leg muscles can generate in its contractions to execute a higher jump.
Core Strengthening Tips for the Jump Higher Trainee
There are a bunch of core muscle exercises that you can do to develop a solid core base to help you develop thathigher jump. They may or may not involve exercise equipment. The exercises enumerated below do not require any equipment:
- Back Bridge
- Plank Exercise
- Push Ups
- Side Plank Exercise
- Side Lunges
- V-sits
- Hip Lift
- The Basic Push Up
- Russian Twists
- Abdominal Bracing
- Lunges
- Back Extensions
- Squats
If you are going about doing these jump higher exercises without professional supervision, be sure to research first on how to do them properly as there are a lot of ways to do any exercise the wrong way and/or at the wrong time. You could end up injuring yourself instead of achieving those hang time vertical jumps. Just remember that when you feel pain, that is the body’s way of telling you that there is something wrong. When in doubt, consult a doctor or an expert sports or jump trainer.
Topics: core strength exercises, exercises to jump higher | No Comments »
Higher Jump Training Exercise: Toe Raises
By admin | September 4, 2009
If you undergoing some training workouts to jump higher, then I am willing to bet that one exercise included in the regimen is the toe raises. This is an essential part of jump higher exercises because it works out muscle groups that are basically the engine behind an explosive vertical explosion.
The main muscle group that is benefited by proper toe raises are the calf muscles. Calf muscles are a pretty strong muscle group and which gives the leg strength to lift the body by pushing down through your toes and raising your heel of the ground. This is basically the basic locomotion of vertical jumping.
Toe raises are good ways to develop the calf muscle power needed for the dorsal flexion action of your leg muscles which basically is the act of loading the calf muscles (particularly the fast twitch muscle fibers) before the jump by decreasing the angle between your feet and your shins (squatting movement). It also works out the counter action, the plantar fexion of the leg muscles, which is similar to the act of pushing down on a vehicle’s car pedal but on an explosively quick manner to create the distance between your body and the ground.
There are two types of toe raises: the seated and standing toe raises and their details are provided below:
Training for higher vertical jumps generally involve high-impact exercises that may increase risk of injuries. You should consult a professional trainer or a doctor before undergoing any drills that you got off the Internet.
1. Seated Toe Raises
As the title stated, this exercise is performed while seated. This is a light exercise because it takes a lot of the body weight off the calf muscles but is still good enough as to be a good strengthening workout for them.
Instructions: While seated on a chair with both feet flat on the ground, push down on your toes such that the heels are off the floor and an increase in the angle between the feet and the shins is performed. Hold that position for 8 to 15 seconds, go back to original position, then repeat. Make 10 to 20 repetitions per session.
2. Standing Toe Raises
This drill is more of a workout to the leg muscles as the first one since you are putting more weight and strain on your calf muscles and is effectively carrying your entire weight. The principle is the same as the seated toe raises.
Instructions: While standing upright with both feet flat on the ground, push down on the ground with your toes such as the heels are lifted off the floor and the same increase in the angle between feet and the shins is achieved. Hold that position for 8 to 15 seconds, go back to original position, then repeat. Do this 10 to 20 times per session.
The principle behind learning to jump higher is as simple as strengthening the muscles involved in the jumping locomotion to deliver more strength and power so that more energy is transferred from your body (particularly your legs) to the ground which will logically result in a higher or improved jump height.
Topics: exercises to jump higher | No Comments »
