How to Achieve a Higher Vertical Jump
Posted on : 08-11-2009 | By : Bill Paxton | In : Sports
Do you want to know how you can jump higher? Lots of people who play all kinds of sports fantasize that they had a 40in vertical leap, but there are only a select few who know how to get it. While some people are born gifted, others must learn how to build up their vertical leap. The key factor to improving your jumping ability is to become familiar with the two types of muscle power.
If you are going to increase your vertical jump you need to focus on two different kinds of power; reactive power and strength power. Until you understand the difference and know how to apply them to your workout regimen, you stand no chance of seeing any results whatsoever.
Strength power is made up of the amount of energy our muscles can give off. Every person realizes that if you want to jump better, you should build up your leg muscles. This is why it is logical to exercise your legs and calves especially. With this additional strength you can move your whole body off the ground with additional force.
But it is important to realize that you can make it more difficult to learn how to jump higher if you build too much muscle. Muscle mass that is built up increases your weight overall, which negatively impacts your vertical jump. It can result in actually making you slower, while also making it harder to lift off the ground.
For this reason, you need to find a balance between putting on too much muscle and not enough. As soon as you learn this you can move on to the next type of power you need to focus on which is reactive power.
Reactive power emphasizes the speed at which your muscles are able to contract when using the strength power. Reactive power is different because it focuses on the central nervous system instead of muscle mass like strength power. Your goal should be to maintain the speed component of your power equation.
The reactive power of your legs can be improved though a regular exercise regime. The overall vertical jump can be negatively effected if you do not use the muscle build up the right way.
This explains why both power types are crucial to improving your vertical leap. Just increasing your leg muscles will not help you unless you have reactive power. You legs won’t be able to raise your body weight up, if it doesn’t have the strength power. It’s necessary to understand the theory behind these types of powers, if you want to jump highe
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