Tag Archive 'plyometrics'

Jul 29 2010

Jumping Exercises: Plyometric Exercises For The Lower Body

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Have you been looking for exercises that could help you increase your jump? Plyometrics is gaining popularity with regards to jumping exercises since these have been proven effective by so many athletes.

Doing lower body plyometric exercises has been very effective in increasing their jumps. If you want to learn some lower body plyometric exercises, you could try doing the examples below.

One kind of lower body plyometrics is the split squat jump. With your feet hip-width apart, stand straight. With your left leg, step back approximately 2 feet and stand on the ball of your back foot. Stand in the staggered stance and your head and back should be straight and erect. Next, you must lower your body by bending your right hip and knee until your thigh is positioned parallel to the floor. Then, jump into the air as quickly as possible. While you are in mid-air, switch your feet making your left foot land in front and vice-versa.

One kind of lower body plyometrics is the lateral box push off. Stand at the side of the box with your left foot on top of it. Using your left leg, push against the box and jump. For maximum height, use your arms by driving them forward and upward. Land with the right foot on the box and your left foot on the ground at the other side of the box. From this side, repeat the exercise.

The box drill with rings is a form of plyometric exercise which targets the lower body. Begin by standing with your feet which are more than hip-width apart. The body must be facing the first ring. With both your feet, hop on the first ring. Next, hop onto the other ring to your left. Then, hop backwards to land on the ring behind you. Finish by hopping on the final ring located at your right. Take a rest and do everything again. In between hops, you must remember that your ground contact time must be as short as possible.

Zigzag hops are another form of lower body plyometric rings. Stand on the left side of an agility ladder. With both your feet, push off the ground and land on the other side of the ladder. Push off the ground again but this time you must land on the other side. Continue doing these until you reach the end of the ladder. Remember that you must only stay on the ground really quick in between hops and that you must not double hop.

The depth jump is a form of plyometric exercise that targets the lower body. With your feet which are shoulder-width apart, stand on top of the box. Step off the box and with both feet, land onto the ground. Then, jump quickly and as high as you could as you reach up with both hands. Remember that the jump must have no horizontal movement. Also, ground contact time must be as fast as possible. And your landing must be soft.

These are some examples of lower body plyometric exercises which are considered jumping exercises since these can definitely increase your jump. For more important information and jumping exercises, get a copy of the Jump Manual.

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Sep 18 2009

Find Useful Advice On Using Plyometrics

Published by admin under Timed Finals

How To Jump Higher

You might have heard the word Plyometrics before and wondered what in the world it meant. You could even say many athletes aren’t confident they know it’s meaning either. It’s just another way to say jumping exercises. The main intent of this article will be on the subject of Plyometrics. 

With the right system organizing the scientifically proven Plyometric workouts it is possible for most people to add many inches to their current jumping ability.  Plyometric workouts are very intense but produce very quick results.  Because of their intensity they are not recommended as a year round training regimen.  The idea is to perform them for say two months which would count as one Plyometrics training period.  They are not something you will do all year long. 

The sports that use this type of training the most are volleyball,basketball and football.  But, plyometrics are also used in many other sports that require quickness because that is what they do, improve speed of movement.  Of course you will tend to get more out of it in sports that put a premium on jumping but it also increases agility.

Speed is only part of the equation for jumping higher, you also need strength.  In fact you should make sure that you already have plenty of strength before beginning a Plyometric workout.  This means you should be strong enough to squat at least one and a half times your body weight.  If your legs are weak I would not recommend starting a jumping program until you have strengthened them. 

Having weak muscles and tendons will lead to injury from high impact exercises.  Remember that jump height is a perfect combination of speed and strength but that you should work on them during different workouts on different days.

This article has briefly touched on what Plyometrics is and how it can help you. One of the most important things to remember initially is that you need to be strong enough to perform the exercises. When you are ready to start or just want more information then head on over to http://www.VerticalWorkouts and read about Plyometrics or even some of the jump enhancement programs offered there. Your jump will thank you for it.

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Sep 02 2009

Find Effective Information About The History Of Plyometrics

Published by admin under Timed Finals

The catch phrase plyometrics seems to be loosely applied to a lot of esoteric but effective system of workout. Even if you include the world’s most accomplished athletes the origins of this form of exercise are largely not known. The truth is this exercise form started out as an exercise of training in the eastern parts of the globe.

Where It Started
Plyometric was not initially named that. It was first referred to as ”Jump Training”. At that point it only started to gain importance when Eastern countries started to dominate certain track and field activities. This led many to want to find out the techniques behind their success.

Of course all of this started around the roaring 20s and then it was used exclusively by track athletes associated with track activities. This continued until it was comprehensively combined into a systematic training form. It wasn’t until other sports in the late 70s started to combine the training techniques that it really started to gain public awareness. This was really the case for sports that require agility and explosiveness to be successful.

Greek Root
The name Plyometrics was created from the greek root “pleythyein” which roughly translated means “to augment” or “to increase”. The plyometric term was coined by an American field and track coach in 1975 Fred Wilt. His reasoning was to put together two latin words “pilo” and “metrics” which again roughly translated means “to measure” and “more”.

This “NEW” form of exercise training was created to enable the athlete to have powerful and fast movements. This will in turn lead to increased performance in their respective sports. What sets this system of training apart is the fact that it makes use of muscle strength, elasticity and innervations to enable an athlete to hit harder, jump higher and throw farther.

This article has briefly touched on the beginnings and start of plyometrics. This article stated the science behind the technique’s success and who can use it to become more efficient. If you are an athlete serious about becoming better in your respective sport you should give it a serious look. By using plyometrics in the right method you should expect an increase in performance in any sport that focuses on explosiveness and agility. For more information on this exciting subject go to the jumping high website.

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Aug 31 2009

Increase Vertical Jump Training

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First Steps Needed Before You Start Your Increase Vertical Jump Training

These three steps are necessary before you attempt to start your training exercises to increase your vertical jump. One, set challenging but realistic goals, two, construct a workout plan, and three, Do the workout you have planned. This will be a great start in order to see improvement or real change in your vertical jumping.

Lay out Pragmatic Ambitious and Measurable Goals

While you lay out your goals, they need to follow specified, measurable, real and ambitious. For some, this could constitute a sound goal. When determining goals, bear in mind your current fitness level, and how much time you’re prepared to spend in your training. For example: I want to increase my vertical leap by 10″ in 12 weeks. As you are able to see, this is precise, the advancement can be evaluated, and may be both pragmatic and stimulating for a lot of athletes. Some jocks who already have a good fitness level may set a more ambitious goal like doubling their vertical jump in 10 weeks. Some second-rate illustrations could be: I prefer to leap higher, I would like to slam dunk a basketball. Although slam-dunking is great incentive to keep conditioning, it’s advisable to adjust your goals to be specific and measurable.

For example, if you know you are 9″ from touching the rim, your goal should be increasing your vertical by 14″ to insure you will be able to dunk. You can measure this progress, and reaching this goal results in dunking.

Design A Workout Plan

In future lessons, I will give you ideas on setting up a good plan. For now, you just need to know some kind of plan is required. Successful people from all walks of life have this in common; they all had a plan or strategy in mind to follow. It is best to have your plan written down and reviewed regularly, so you can keep focused on what your created plan.

Take Action On The Plan You Made

Once you have a goal and have created a workout plan then ALL you need to do is Do it! Eliminate all excuses, sacrifice, and get an accountability partner. Change is never easy, but when you accomplish your goals, it will be worth it!

For best results, keep track of your initial performance, workout statistics and on-going performance. With this information you can make the decision to alter your plan to make it easier or harder based on your initial goal constraints and how you are coming along in accomplishing it.

I hope you realize the importance of setting goals, writing them down, making a plan, and then taking action until you reach your goals. For those in a position to take it to the next level and drastically increase their vertical, go to Jump Manual, an online vertical training program.

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Aug 30 2009

Can Anyone Learn To Jump Higher?

Published by admin under Timed Finals

All that is needed to jump higher is wisdom, that is, knowing the correct exercises to do, and then doing it. You can dramatically increase your vertical for basketball, volleyball or whatever sport you play if you know the truth on what works. You do not need to play basketball or whatever to do these exercises. If you just want to build leg strength or feel better physically, give these exercises a try.

Any jump training program must include strength building. Even though there is many different ways to increase strength, increased jumping abilities is usually the result. Your workouts should focus on weight training specifically for the lower part of your body.

Once you understand how your muscles work, you will be able to develop proper training for them. After applying proper techniques, you will increase your vertical jump and get more explosive power out of your legs.

Biking, climbing stairs or running is not the only way to build leg strength. You can do squats without weights at home by simply sitting down on a chair and then popping up with your legs. You will accelerate your strength in your legs with weight training, but make sure you start light and then increase the weight.

If you want to increase your success rate, find a person to do the training with you. Partners can encourage consistent and proper form, and accelerate leg strength without the risk of injury. If a partner is not possible, just make sure you do the weight training exercises consistently and safely.

It is important to evaluate your approach in your jumping higher exercises. To enhance the benefits of your training, using a multi-faceted approach will result in greater overall improvement. For example, squats develops a variety of muscle groups.

You can complement your exercise with a healthy diet. Nutrition is vital in providing the growth and repair of your muscles experiencing great stress through exercise. Your vertical jump will dramatically increase only if you stay away from eating poorly.

Many athletes mistakenly train only for muscle endurance and strength. Plyometric exercises are also important to add to your vertical leap program. Plyometrics help develop those quick twitch muscle fibers needed for your muscles to explode, which is necessary if you desire to dramatically increase your vertical.

Proper jumping techniques can also increase your vertical. People can do any exercise, but without the proper form you won’t get the results you desire. In fact, by fixing your form alone, you can easily gain two to four inches on your jumping.

Learning to jump higher is simple if you know all the factors involved and then apply them.  The challenge then becomes in you being diligent to follow through consistently.  The Jump Manual contains all the factors necessary to gain full maximum in increasing your vertical.  Success in jumping higher is only a click away.

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