Exercises to Jump Higher

Track athletes, basketball players and others can benefit from including a couple specific exercises to jump higher into their workout routines. The key to progress is developing explosive strength in the thighs, hips and calves. Here are some exercises to help you accomplish just that.

Some of these exercises to jump higher focus on brute strength, while others go for speed and sheer explosiveness. For best results, include both in each workout.

Secure a bar in a squat rack and load it up. Place yourself centered under it so that it rests against the top of your shoulders with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands far out to the sides for balance. Unrack the bar, take a small step back and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Bend your hips and knees, not your back -- keeping the abs tense will help keep your back straight. As you push back up to the starting position, imagine pushing your heels through the floor.

Stand in front of a box with your feet together. Bend your knees and jump up on top of the box. For extra credit, jump down with your toes pointing down like a gymnast and land using your calf muscles to absorb the impact. If you're jumping down without making noise, you're doing it right. Switch to a taller box as you become more proficient.

There's a strong correlation between acceleration and jumping ability, so make it a point to include sprinting drills into your routine regularly. Short but intense dashes, 30-50 yards, repeated a half-dozen times with a minute or two of rest in-between, should be a great help building that extra boost.

Stand with one leg on the ground and one leg on a box, bench or other object above knee height. Using your bent leg, propel yourself upward in a sudden, explosive motion as far as you can. Work one leg at a time doing a full set before switching; trying to alternate legs between each rep is bound to make you lose rhythm and/or balance.

Load up a barbell and stand centered right in front of it. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, so that your forearms are touching the outside of your thighs. As with squats, it is important to lift with your hips and legs, not the back -- keep the abs tense to ensure a straight back throughout the movement.

Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand straight. Take a big stride forward with one leg and let your body descend until the rear knee almost touches the floor. Then use the lead leg to push off so that you return to the starting position. The rear foot should not move at any point and the dumbbells should remain hanging straight down the whole time. You can either alternate legs between each rep or do a full set per leg before switching.

Finally, don't underestimate the benefit of simply practicing vertical jumping as-is. Depending on your height, try to find objects to aim for and do a running leap jump to touch a basketball rim, suitable tree branch, street sign or anything else you can just barely make contact with. Don't forget to upgrade to more challenging targets as you improve. Good luck!

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