If you were driving in your car and came across a roadblock, what would you do? You would pull out a map and find the best detour.

You would not make a u-turn and go home because of one obstacle. You would not let anything keep you from your ultimate destination.

This policy is probably true for many aspects of your life. If you need to meet a deadline but have hit a speed bump, you find alternative ways to accomplish your goal. This is because it is easy to see the rewards of your work.

However, when it comes to something that requires true self-motivation, like a commitment to athletic training, it is highly probable you let obstacles come between you and your goals.

It is too easy to let speed bumps keep you from your training goals. Almost 80% of all people who fail at training failed due to a mental issue and not a physical one.

If you want to increase vertical leap abilities, you have to learn how to get over and move past obstacles quickly.

A great way to face the obstacles in your way is to formally acknowledge them. Take time to think about each issue and write it down on paper.

Then, think about each obstacle. Try to develop a strategy to overcome each one.

It is important that you not dismiss any small obstacle or discredit any significant one. For example, are you spending time with people who discourage you and think you will not meet your goals?

Is a gym or weight room not as accessible as you need it to be? Are you having trouble staying motivated? Is your schedule too busy to allow for the training time needed?

You must ask yourself thorough questions like this to discover your obstacles. Then, it is time to devise a strategy to find a detour around those roadblocks.

For example, if your peers are not supporting your goals it is time to shut them out. You may not need to remove them from your life, but stop talking about your training and giving them the opportunity to bring you down.

If a gym or weight room is not easily accessed, then you need to start thinking out of the box. Any good jump manual should offer you alternatives to an official gym for training.

Many times, homemade or cheap store-bought products are even more effective than their gym alternatives.

If you are having trouble staying motivated, there is a simple solution. A training partner is the best solution to your problem. Find someone else with a similar ability and similar goals.

If you train together, you will be accountable to one another and it will help you stay on track.

Finally, if your schedule is not allowing for your vertical jump commitment, then you may not be as committed as you think. To get a vertical jump gain of several inches you are going to need to spend serious time working out, eating right, and making healthy choices.

If you cannot prioritize those things, then this may not be the time for you to start this kind of training.

However, you should examine your schedule thoroughly before you give up. Are you spending an extra hour watching the morning news when you could be training? Chances are, there is more non-prioritized time in your schedule than you think

There is literally no obstacle that cannot be overcome. You just have to start truly examining the problem and get creative about resolving it. If you can do that, you will start making better progress in your vertical leap training.

With any dedication to serious exercise program, there is going to be the occasional muscle soreness. The soreness is most likely to occur in the beginning or any time you advance to a new training intensity.

Feeling sore is the most often used excuse for skipping workouts and even giving up the program altogether. Finding an easy, quick, and reliable method to relieve that soreness will help you stay on track.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is the most common form of exercise-related soreness. It comes when your body is adjusting to a new level of training.

It typically shows up within 12 hours of your jumping exercises. However, it can show up as late as 48 hours which can make diagnosing the source of the pain more difficult. It is generally worse after two days and then quickly subsides.

The symptoms of DOMS are different than other muscle problems you may have felt. During your workout, you probably felt muscle fatigue that feels like you simply cannot perform another motion.

If you suffer an actual injury, you will feel sharp pain even when you are still. DOMS is more of a constant aching that is relieved by staying still but prevents you from ever getting comfortable.

Relieving that pain will be critical to maintaining your forward progress and momentum. Too long of a delay and your body will not be able to maintain the new training intensity.

It is important to reduce the pain as soon as you can, even before it happens if possible.

Since you have been training naturally, it is important that you mend yourself naturally as well.

You can use medicines, such as anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers, but those can put a toll on your liver, kidneys, and overall body functions that should be focused on healing your soreness and building jumping muscles.

Fortunately, there are several great ways to naturally and effectively heal your soreness.

Warm Up - This is your best defense DOMS. It keeps the muscles stretched out thoroughly, open to the new level of activity. If the muscles are not stretched out, they will be more likely to tear and swell. Any good jump bible will teach you how to warm up properly.

Active Recovery - Many people believe this is the absolute best way to improve DOMS once it occurs. Active recovery involves remaining active during the sore period but at a severely reduced intensity.

Keeping the muscles active helps them stay stretched and work out the swelling. It also keeps them capable of maintaining the new intensity once you start full training again.

Sports Massage - A gentle rubbing massage on the sore muscles is very therapeutic. It works out the locked up, tense muscles. Muscular tears which have caused swelling are aided by the increased blood flow stimulated by massage.

It is important to know that massage is better when done by a professional and an amateur can cause more harm than good.

Hydrotherapy - A long soak in a hot bath can do wonders. The hot water causes the muscles to expand and relax. The water gives the muscles gentle pressure to help stimulate blood flow.

Bubbling water, like that in a jacuzzi, adds an additional pressure and massaging motion. This is why every professional sports gym includes a full size jacuzzi.

Fortunately, DOMS is not a long term condition. You should know that it will occur when you first start and as you reach the higher intensity levels at the end of the training.

As long as you are caring for your soreness naturally, DOMS should not prevent you from training to get that ultimate vertical jump.

You know that your vertical jump is one of the ultimate tests of your athletic performance. It is what takes your game to a whole new level. This is why you have been training so hard.

However, if you are not fully recovering from your training you could be losing inches of jump height.

The best vertical jump bible is going to teach you how to recover fully. However, it is still easy to over train and not give your body a long enough recovery period.

It may be that you have not seen the results you wanted and are working double-time to improve. Perhaps you have seen results and are over-eager to see more. Either way, you are doing yourself a disservice.

What Happens When You Don’t Recover Fully

When you are training and playing, both your body and your nervous system are taxed. Weight training and high-speed training is an excellent way to improve your strength and subsequently your vertical jump. However, this training does cause damage.

Usually, your body will repair this damage. In fact, the damage itself is what forces your body to build stronger, healthier tissue. These repairs do not happen while you train, they happen while you rest.

If you are not getting enough rest and recovery you will not be able to make the necessary repairs. Furthermore, when you do train you will be causing more damage than the body can repair.

Your body is going to become overly fatigues. This fatigue will manifest itself first in your high-speed physical performance. Put simply, you are deteriorating your muscle’s ability to jump explosively.

How to Know If You Are Overtraining

You probably already have a method of tracking your progress during your workouts to jump higher. If not, you should get one.

You should repeat your test every two weeks because your vertical jump test is the best barometer of the effectiveness of your training program. If the vertical jump is improving, so are your speed, agility, and strength.

If you are not getting enough recovery, you will see a decrease in your vertical jump. You may not even notice the fatigue, but your vertical jump will be impacted quickly.

If you see as little as a 10% decrease in your vertical jump, this is a sign that you should cut back your volume or intensity.

Optimize Recovery

You do not want to cut back your training too much, or you will lose out on the progress you had been making. Therefore, do not stop training altogether.

If you have seen a 10% decrease in your vertical jump, simply decrease the volume of your training in half and the intensity by 10% for the rest of the training week.

For example, if you have been doing 18 sets of weight lifts with a load of 60%, change that to 9 sets with a load of 50%. Also, make sure you do not train to failure.

Once you see your height go up 10% or more, you will be ready to increase the training. You should up your volume by 20% and the intensity of your training by 5%.

Of course, soreness is also a sign of poor recovery. If you increase your volume and intensity too much, you may begin to feel sore.

If you are sore at anytime, you should decrease your intensity to protect your body and make the most progress.

If you train your body hard and give yourself enough rest, you will reap the reward of a higher vertical jump.

Remember to monitor your progress so you can quickly recognize overtraining and fatigue. As long as you give yourself enough recovery, your training will pay off.

Use this guide to help you design your very own plyometric workout routine designed to increase vertical jump. Use all of this advice, but remember that you can change the routine around as much as you need to fit your specific needs.

Remember, that you can do more than just one routine per workout and these routines are supposed to be combined with other routines to fit your needs.

Plyometric exercises are designed to connect force and explosive power. In other words, increasing the ability of your muscles to become stronger and move faster. Plyometrics are simple exercises that almost never require extra equipment. Athletes around the world use them because of their simple yet extremely effective methods to increase vertical jump.

Having routines for your workout is what makes the workout unique for you. There are a few major types of routines you can perform. Determine what type of routine you want to do, and do exercises in that type of routine. Here is a list of the major routines, their purposes, and their exercises:

1) Low Intensity Plyometrics - These exercises are less intense than other plyometric training drills and are usually performed as warm-ups. They are great exercises to start off with as a beginner, but should still be done by anyone regardless of experience. You should not become very fatigued after this exercise routine because it is supposed to be harder than a normal warm-up, but it still is not supposed to be very intense. An example of a low intensity plyometric exercise is the box drill (also known as “4 star drill) where you jump around in a square shape. Here are some other low intensity exercises:

• Ankle Bounce
• Slalom Jumps
• Box or “4-star” drill

2) General Jump Plyometrics - These exercises are moderate intensity and consist of average exercises without many major changes. The exercises classified in this routine are usually supposed to be performed with a high amount of repetitions. Everyone should do these exercises, but they should be the hardest routine that a beginner performs. Once you have become experienced at these plyometric routines first, then you can move on. An example of a general jump plyometric exercise is squat jumps where you squat down and jump as high as you can. It is a generic exercise that can be mixed up into many different forms. Here are some other general jump exercises:

• Squat Jumps
• Paused Squat Jumps
• Consecutive Broad Jumps
• Leapfrog Jumps

3) Power Development Plyometrics - These workouts usually involve using a lot of power when going from a paused or stopped position into movement. Power development plyometric exercises are designed to use as much power as possible and transfer into motion as quickly as possible. These drills are usually very intense and you should be fatigued afterwards. Only people that are experienced at plyometrics should start this routine or any routine below. An example is the standing broad jump where you go from a crouched position to exploding forwards. Here are some other power development exercises:

• Standing Broad Jump
• On-box jump
• Box Squat Jump

4) Full Extension Plyometrics - These exercises usually include full range movement with your muscles extending as far as they can. Full range strength is important for athletes. These exercises are great for improving acceleration and agility as well as improving your vertical leap because they usually strengthen your hips and hamstrings. An example of full extension exercises is rhythmic squat jump because it requires you to extend your body to its full range. Here are some other full extension exercises:

• Rhythmic jump squat
• Low squat ankle jump
• any other exercise where you fully extend your muscles

5) Short Range Plyometrics - These exercises are the opposite of full extension except that you are supposed to perform both with full intensity. These exercises involve as little ground contact as possible. Short-range exercises focus mainly on speed and less muscle extension. A great example of short-range exercises is sprinting because it requires speed and less contact with the ground. Here are some other short range exercises:

• Sprinting
• Power skipping
• 3 steps + jump as high as possible

To design your own plyometric workouts you need to decide what aspect of your vertical that you want to improve. For example, you can jump really high but you are a slow jumper and take too long to get that high. This should be your workout routine:

1. Low intensity plyometrics workout to warm up
2. Short Range plyometrics to improve jumping speed
3. Low intensity plyometrics workouts or general jump plyometrics to cool down

If you are quick to jump up, but cannot jump very high, then this should be your workout routine:

1. Low intensity plyometrics to warm up
2. Power Development Plyometrics to improve jump height
3. Low intensity plyometrics or general jump plyometrics to cool down

Maybe you are average at both jumping speed and height. Then follow this workout:

1. Low intensity to warm up
2. General jump to work everything
3. Full extension to improve jumping ability and also agility
4. Low intensity to cool down

You can do more than the suggested routines in a workout, or you could do less. It depends on you. If you have just done the three from an example and still are not tired, then add another one. Or if you are too tired after the second exercise, then you can stop there. It all depends on how you feel after each exercise. Always work your hardest though, or else you will never be able to increase vertical jump.

Make sure that you do not do the same combination of routines every day because then you will become weak in other areas. You can do a certain combination more frequently than others because that is where you need work, but you still need to mix things up a little bit.

Also, plyometric workouts fatigue the nervous system quite a bit. The nervous system usually takes five times longer to recover than your muscles. So, make sure to never use plyometrics as endurance training.

The e-book Jump Manual is the place to find more plyometric exercises that you can fit into your routine.

The author is a trainer of countless professional basketball players and has helped increase their vertical by huge amounts. He has trained professional and Olympic basketball players.

If you really want to increase your vertical then you need to read the Jump Manual.

Plyometric exercises are one of the most effective types of exercises you can perform to increase vertical leap. Plyometric exercises are designed to increase your reactive strength. Reactive strength is sort of like a spring. The more reactive strength you have, the faster you can react from one motion and do another motion.

The reason so many athletes use plyometric exercises is that they are a great way to connect force and explosive power. Essentially the drills are designed to tune and strengthen your leg muscles to be able to jump higher faster. They are relatively simple exercises and usually do not require any equipment, but they can give incredible results.

These are three plyometrics exercises that you should work on to increase your vertical leap. Make sure that you do all of these plyometric training exercises correctly.

1) Slalom Jumps - Start by standing with both feet on the same side of a line. Keep your feet together and jump to the other side of the line without touching it. Keep jumping back and forth for as long as you can.

Make sure that you jump as fast as you can while doing this plyometric exercise because you will see the most results in your vertical. You can measure the exercise by the amount of times you have jumped over the line, or you could keep jumping over a certain period of time. Either way works.

If you want to mix up this plyometrics exercise, then imagine that you are jumping over a basketball from side to side. Do not actually try to jump over a basketball because your legs might get tired and you could accidentally slip on the ball.

Another variation you could perform is jumping with one foot. Make sure you jump and land with the same foot on both sides of the line. So, if you jump with your right foot on one side of the line land on that same foot on the other side. Do this as fast as you can.

2) Squat-Thrust (Burpee) - This exercise is one of the most effective plyometric exercises. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down low enough so your hands can touch the floor on both sides of your legs.

Once you have gotten into that position kick your legs out behind you like a push-up. Then, bring your legs back in and jump as high as you can. Continue to repeat this exercise for as long as possible.

Make sure that you keep a good form throughout the exercise. When you are in push-up position make sure that your back is straight. When you bring your legs in and jump make sure you are jumping straight up with your arms swinging into the air.

This exercise increases the ability of your legs to react and jump sooner. It is great for basketball players who want to win more jump balls or grab more rebounds.

Move through all of the motions as fast as you can to increase your agility. Moving slowly will hardly help at all.

There is a great variation of the exercise that you can do. When you are in push-up position you might as well do a push-up. Not only are you strengthening your leg muscles, but you are also building some upper-body strength. Every little bit counts in basketball, so you should do everything you can to gain the upper edge over your opponents.

3) Low Box Depth Jump - All you need for this exercise is a box or platform that is around a foot off of the ground. Start by standing on the box with either your entire foot on the box or just your heels with your toes hanging off.

Step off of the box and immediately when you land jump as high as you can. If you want you can jump in front of a raised object like a basketball goal and try and reach for that whenever you jump.

If you have more than one box that is the same height as the first one you can try a variation of the exercise. Place one box and then place the next one between three and four feet ahead of the first box. Start the same as before and step off, but when you land and jump off of the ground, jump onto the next box. Turn around quickly and do the same thing to the first box.

If you are lucky enough to have more than just two boxes or raised platforms that are the same height then you can just continue the drill without having to turn around. Make sure you move quickly because this drill is a great way to build normal and reactive leg strength and tune your legs for speed.

Plyometric exercises have proven time and time again that it is possible to increase your vertical jump. Doing plyometric exercises is a must for anyone who is looking to dunk the basketball that cannot at the moment. Your workouts should always include some form of plyometrics. Plyometric leg exercises are supposed to be performed fast, so that means training slowly will get you nowhere.

It is recommended that you heavily integrate plyometrics into your daily workouts. All of the athletes that need to increase their vertical do plyometrics, so why wouldn’t you? You will never be able to reach your full jumping potential without doing plyometrics training exercises. Plyometrics and other types of exercises combined into the same workout can be an incredible combination and it is highly recommended that you use that combination.

The e-book Jump Manual is a great reference to find more plyometric training exercises that you can perform.

The author has helped basketball players increase their vertical by over 15 inches and trains professional and Olympic basketball players.

If you really want to increase your vertical leap then you need to do plyometric exercises and the best way to find the right ones to do is to read the Jump Manual.

A persons’ vertical is measured by how high they jump. So, it only makes sense that in order to increase your vertical you need to work on exercises to jump higher. Not all jump higher exercises are alike, but they all have the same purpose: Increasing your vertical.

Follow these three effective exercises to jump higher carefully. If you do not then your time will be wasted. Don’t be afraid if you mess up because it only shows that you are giving the exercise effort.

1) Low Squat Ankle Jump - This is one of the unique basketball workouts to jump higher. Squat down low and stay on your toes. Make sure you do not rest on your heels because this takes away the effectiveness of the drill.

Stay in the squat position and bounce up and down on the balls of your feet. Do not get high enough so that your legs are straight. Try and keep your legs as close to your chest as possible.

Make sure that you use as much force as possible when you are bouncing. The harder you push, the stronger your leg muscles will be. Try and get into a consistent rhythm and focus on keeping that rhythm. This will move your focus from the strain on your legs to the rhythm of the exercise to jump higher.

Do the exercise for a certain amount of repetitions, take a rest and then do it again with more repetitions than the first time. The more you do, the stronger you will get. Keep reminding yourself whenever you do the workout.

If you really want to reap the benefits of this exercise go as low as you can. It will most likely strain your muscles a lot more, but it will be worth it later on the basketball court.

2) Power Skipping - This jump higher exercise is just like skipping as a child, except that you use a lot more effort and speed. Use a flat surface like a basketball court that you can skip down.

Start at one end and push off as hard as you possibly can with one foot while shooting the other leg into the air. Try and touch your knee to your chest. Alternate all the way down the court and repeat the other way down.

This point of this drill is not to see how fast you can get to the other end. You want to jump as far up as you can and not as far forward as you can.

One of the techniques to jump higher when power skipping is to get into a rhythm.

1. Start by jumping off of your right foot with your left leg in the air
2. Land back on your right foot
3. Step forward with your left foot and jump off of your left foot with your right leg in the air
4. Continue this all the way down the court

Make sure you push as hard as you can off of your foot.

3) Box or “4-star” drill - In this drill all you will need is enough room to make a box with each point spaced about two feet from each other. This is one of a few great ways to jump higher.

To start, imagine four different points on the ground in front of you that form a square and are about 2 feet apart. Number those four points one through four.

Stand on number one and jump with both feet to number two. Make sure to keep your feet together. Stepping forward with one foot completely ruins the drill and will not help you at all in your quest for a better vertical.

Next, jump to the side and land third spot doing everything the same. When jumping from the second spot, do not turn towards the third spot and jump forwards. You should have to jump sideways to get to spot three. Then you want to jump backwards to spot four, and to the left and back on spot one.

Instead of jumping clock-wise like you just did, jump counter-clockwise this time. Once you get back to spot jumping counter-clockwise you have done one repetition. Do as many as you can, and remember to keep your feet together.

If you want some variations of this exercise, then you can jump on one foot. But if you only jump with one foot, then you have to stay on that same foot throughout the workout. Once you have done your set amount of repetitions, switch feet and do the same thing.

These are just a few of the jumping higher exercises and leg workouts to jump higher that you can perform. Make sure you follow instructions and execute all of the drills properly. Always push your limits. If your muscles are not feeling any strain, then you are not doing enough repetitions. Try doing double the amount of repetitions that you did or at least work until you feel some strain.

If you really want to maximize your training be sure to check out some of our other guides. The best way to increase your vertical leap is to mix up the exercises you work on in order to tune your leg muscles for anything.

The e-book Jump Manual is perfect for finding more effective exercises to jump higher.

The book  was written by a professional basketball trainer who has helped a number of professional and amateur athletes to increase their vertical.

If you really want to jump higher than you ever thought you could and reach heights you never thought were possible, then you definitely need to check out the Jump Manual.

Why do you want to increase your jumping ability? To get more rebounds, blocks, or be able to dunk? Whatever your reason, you have come to the right place.

Here we will teach you how to increase your jumping ability using three different exercises. These exercises WILL increase your jumping ability if you do them right. The three vertical jump exercises are:

• Rhythmic Squat Jumps
• Box Jumps
• Standing Broad Jumps

These exercises for jumping are only for players who are willing to work hard to be able to jump higher. Only giving 50% effort in these exercises will not help AT ALL.

1) Rhythmic Squat Jumps – (also referred to as “leap-ups”) involve (you guessed it) jumping rhythmically. If you do not jump with a rhythm, then you are doing the exercise wrong.

First, you need to squat down to almost as low as you can go. Make sure you keep your balance though, because neither of us wants you to fall and hurt yourself (injury for you and bad publicity for us). ALWAYS be on the balls of your feet. Never jump or land on your heels.

Next, you must jump as high as you can from that squatting position. Use your arms as momentum to propel you. Your arms should start low and swing into the air as you jump. Try and compare yourself jumping to a cannonball exploding out of a cannon.

Pretend that you are trying to grab a basketball in the air every time you jump. Visualize yourself catching the ball. This is good to help focus.

Land on the balls of your feet and in one fluid motion squat down and explode back up using everything that you have just read. Keep doing this for a set amount of time. Make sure you keep a rhythm going.

If you lose your balance or mess up in any way, don’t worry. Just get back into position and keep going. Soon enough you will become an expert at it.

Always remember to be fluid, explode, and stay on the balls of your feet.

Also, you do not have to do it exactly like we say. You can mix things up and try the exercise with just one foot. As long as you follow the proper form you should be just fine.

Whatever variation you do, you can be certain that these jumping higher exercises will increase your jumping ability.

2) Box Jumps – Just because this exercise for jumping is called a box jump does not mean that you have to use a box. You can use stairs, a chair, or any other elevated (but sturdy) platform with a flat surface.

Make sure you start off with a low platform and work your way up. Start with both feet together flat on the ground with a box, or elevated surface, in front of you. Squat down just like the Rhythmic Squat Jump and explode up onto the platform. Then, you want to step off and repeat the process again.

There are other ways to do box jumps. You could do the jump with one foot, but make sure you start pretty low because it is usually harder to jump with only one foot. You could also try doing the jump rhythmically like the squat jump.

Squat down on the balls of your feet, explode up onto the box landing on the balls of your feet. Then, come down and repeat. Still keep in mind that you need to stay fluid throughout the jump. Just like the squat jump you need to remember to be fluid, explode, and stay on the balls of your feet.

This exercise is best done with a partner behind you, because if you fall backwards you will need someone to catch you to avoid injury. If you are doing a lower height, then a partner probably is not necessary, but it is extremely important to have a partner when you are doing a higher box.

3) Standing Broad Jumps – The Standing Broad Jump is a very explosive jump that really works your legs. All you need is a long, flat surface where you can jump (a Basketball Court is perfect). This drill is kind of like the childhood leapfrog where you jump forward instead of up.

In this drill you need to go as low as you can (on the balls of your feet, of course). Use all the same techniques as the Rhythmic Squat Jumps except that instead of jumping up, you jump forward as far as you can using both feet.

This drill does not need to be as fluid as the other two, just explode forward, keep your balance, and then explode forward again.

Try not to fall, but it is bound to happen as this is a very hard drill and takes a lot out of you. If you do just get back up like always and try again.

After you have jumped the length of the court a few times with two feet try using one foot. One-foot broad jumps are really, really hard, so it is expected that you will fall down. If you don’t fall, then you are almost always not trying hard enough or you are not jumping as far as you can.

Just like the others you need to explode and stay on the balls of your feet. Fluidness is not so much of a concern because it is a really hard exercise.

If you do the Standing Broad Jumps right, then your legs should be really sore the next day (and usually a few more days). If you are not, then you are not doing the exercise correctly.

These three exercises for jumping higher are designed to increase your jumping ability with little to no equipment required. When properly executed, these drills are designed to help increase your vertical drastically.

Always remember to stay on the balls of your feet and explode for each drill. Explosion in drills is crucial because it builds up your quickness. If you are jumping for a rebound in a game but do not explode up, then you WILL lose the rebound to your opponent, and you WILL look like an amateur.

Also note: you must continue these exercises over time. You cannot just do them once and expect to jump 5 inches higher. Try to make a schedule and work on certain exercises on certain days to maximize your muscle gain.

The e-book Jump Manual is the perfect reference for all types of workouts designed to increase your vertical leap.

The author has helped increase the vertical of basketball players like professional dunkers, NBA players, and Olympic athletes.

He consistently helps athletes work to over 40 inch verticals. The Jump Manual is a great place to start or continue your journey to an amazing vertical.

This article will give you many different vertical jump workouts that are great for basketball players. The main purpose of all of these exercises is to increase the height of your vertical jump. Jump workouts work so well because they strengthen the muscles needed to be able to jump higher.

Some of these exercises require equipment, while others need nothing but your determination to succeed.

Use this Overview of Different Vertical Jump Workouts to help you test different workouts to help you jump higher and choose your favorite. Do not worry if you cannot do some of these exercises perfectly because mastery of the workouts comes from a lot of time and effort. If you put time and effort in, then you will soon become an expert.

Make sure you stretch before all workouts. You do not want to pull something and not be able to play basketball for a little while.

1) Squats – Squats require a barbell (just like you would use for benching) and weights to go on the barbell. It is one of many workouts to jump higher that can really improve your vertical.

To perform a squat, rest the barbell centered on your shoulders and squat down low. Then, slowly rise back up keeping the bar parallel to the ground. Remember to always keep your back straight and never to be hunched over.

When you first start squatting, go with a pretty light weight and just aim for repetitions. That way you can get the hang of the squatting motion before you start really lifting.

If possible, you might want to put padding on the part of the barbell where it rests on your neck because all of the weight from the barbell resting on your neck can make your neck sore. If you do not have padding you could always put a towel between your neck and the bar. Neck padding is not needed to do the exercise, but your neck will thank you later if you do.

When you are lifting weights, especially when they are more than you normally lift, make sure you have a spotter with you. A spotter is a lifting partner who stands behind you and makes sure you don’t get hurt while lifting. Spotters are recommended for anyone, no matter how strong they are.

2) Standing Hip Abduction – A more moderate jumping workout that does not require weights is the Standing Hip Abduction. All you need to do is find a wall or something else you can lean against.

Lean your hand against the wall and raise your raise your opposite leg as high as possible. Try and hold this position for around 5 seconds. Then, slowly let your leg go back down and repeat. Now do the same with your other leg. You should feel tightening in your outer hips and glutes. If you do not, then try holding your leg up for even longer.

If you want to really push yourself then hold your leg up for as long as you can and time it. Try to do the exercise again and beat your first time without resting in between. If you push yourself, then you should be able to make it.

3) Jump Rope – Jump ropes are not just for little girls. They are a great way to build speed, agility, strength, or warm you up before a workout. Of all the vertical jump workouts, jumping rope may be the most surprising to people.

If you are jumping rope to warm up, then just jump slowly. Make sure you keep a rhythm and do not slam the ground when you land.

When jumping rope, you should not even be able to hear your feet touch the ground because you are just jumping lightly.

If you are looking to get a workout then start out slowly, and then rapidly increase your speed.

Don’t worry if you mess up, because everyone has to start somewhere and pretty soon you will become a pro at jumping rope. Jumping rope is a really great way to increase your leg speed and strength.

When you start off, you can use any jump rope (borrow your little sister’s for all that we care). But, if you really want to increase your speed, agility, and strength then you want to get a speed rope. Speed ropes are the best kind of jump rope for what you are looking to accomplish. They always move as fast as you swing them and are designed to cut through air with amazing speed.

4) Sprints – Ah yes, the dreaded sprints. Sprints are an extremely great basketball workout because not only do they help build the leg muscles needed for a higher vertical, they also get you into great basketball shape.

Even though sprints may not be your favorite activity, it is important that you do them and push yourself to your limits. Jogging WILL NOT help you here; only sprints.

Find a flat surface that is 25 yards or longer. A basketball court is perfect. Sprint as hard as you can back and forth along the length of the court. Don’t stop until you absolutely have to. When you do stop, get a drink of water and start running again.

Make sure every time you turn around and run back along the basketball court you bend down and touch the line. If you are not running on a basketball court, then pretend that there is a line for you to touch every time you turn around. This may seem like a little detail, but it is extremely important because that little motion works your leg muscles a lot more than you think.

Throughout all of these exercises you need to push your body to its farthest possible limits. If you set a goal to jump rope 100 times in a row, then why not go for 125 as soon as you reach 100. Or maybe try and sprint down the length of the court 10 more times even though you cannot feel your legs. Little things like that can make the biggest difference in the world. Fatigue is a mental problem, so beat it by just doing a little more than you thought you could.

A great way to motivate yourself is to tell yourself that your opponent probably is not working out like you are right now. So every repetition, extra length that you run, and rope you jump puts you that much farther than your opponent.

The e-book Jump Manual is the perfect reference in which to find more than just an overview of different vertical jumping workouts.

The e-book’s author has increased the vertical of professional basketball players.

He consistently helps athletes increase their vertical by as many as 15 inches. If you really want to jump as high as possible then it is highly recommended that you get the Jump Manual.