Looking To Increase Your Maximum

Jump Height?

Step 1

Run sprints to improve your cardiovascular fitness. In order to build an explosive jump that will propel you higher and longer, you need to build your cardiovascular capacity. Long jumpers need to be able to do short bursts of work with incredible force, and sprints are a great way to train the body for that work. Start with six rounds of 100-meter sprints with a minute or two of recovery in between. See if you can maintain or even beat your time on the first round through the sixth round. Try to improve on your time, and then move up to 200-meter sprints using the same format. Practice sprints at least once per week.

Step 2

Perform weight-bearing exercise to build the strength necessary for explosive power. If you really want to jump high, you need strength in your legs to power the jump. Train with squats at an increasing intensity, i.e. increasing weight, over a six-to-eight-week period. Stick to compound exercises that use more than one muscle group, as these exercises will be more effective and efficient for long-jump training. Don’t forget to train your upper body as well; you need to use the strength in your arms and abdomen to jump higher, so work on building total body strength. Do exercises like squat presses, pushups and pull-ups to efficiently build total body strength.

Step 3

Train with plyometrics. Plyometrics is a form of exercise training that uses jumping, hopping and bounding motions to build speed and strength. It makes perfect sense to use this sort of training to improve both the length and the height of your long jump. A common example of plyometrics is the squat jump. Instead of doing a normal squat, where your feet never leave the ground, the plyometric jump squat involves an explosive leap off the ground at the end of the squat, which not only builds strength, but also builds explosive power in the legs.

However, not all plyometrics exercises are suitable for training for all sports. Choose exercises that closely mimic the actions of your sports. For long jumping, an exercise that includes forward motion rather than just vertical motion would be most appropriate. Suitable exercises for increasing your explosive power would be 10- or 20-meter bounds and hops, tuck jumps and split jumps. When performing these exercises, focus on increasing the explosive power of your jump, which will improve jumping height and length.

Step 4

Stretch to increase flexibility of muscles and range-of-motion of joints. Think of your muscles as elastic bands; they need to be supple and pliable in order to expand and contract while you’re jumping. Practice yoga a few times a week, or at least stretch before and after each workout. Be sure you are warmed up before stretching to prevent injury.

More Importantly… Remember to follow everything with moderation.

It’s Monday, Get Out There and Dare to Try!

Working Out From Home? No Problem!

Try out these quick and easy workouts to get a head start on the day.

	1. Supermans Who doesn’t want to think they have super powers?  Great stretch as well when you picture trying to touch the opposing walls with your fingers and toes.
	2. Push-up The Push-up is an oldie but goodie.  You can modify intensity by changing hand placement.
	3. Contralateral Limb Raises Don’t let the name scare you – this is great for toning those troubling upper body areas.
	4. Bent Knee Push-up A great starting option if you struggle with the correct form using a full Push-Up.
	5. Downward-facing Dog Slow and controlled movement very important – wonderful calf stretch.
	6. Bent-Knee Sit-up / Crunches Most people don’t know how to perform a proper sit-up/crunch – that is until now.  Core Power!
	7. Push-up with Single-leg Raise A great progression from a regular Push-Up but remember to keep proper form.
	8. Front Plank This is harder than it looks!  Your back and abs will love you.
	9. Side Plank with Bent Knee Great way to add in hips work without the need for any equipment other than your own body weight.
	10. Supine Reverse Crunches Advanced crunch that targets the entire core region.  If you feel pain in your back – STOP.
	11. Cobra This is my “good morning, time to wake up” exercise – great way to get ready for a busy day.
	12. Squat Jumps A bit of heart rate work while working on total body movement.
	13. Forward Lunge If I could only do one leg exercise for the rest of my life, a lunge would be my choice.
	14. Forward Lunge with Arm Drivers Start with the regular lunge and work up to this advanced exercise hitting some core areas.
	15. Glute Activation Lunges Often missed, this Gluteus workout is the MAXIMUS.
	16. Glute Bridge Real people do yoga – and this is a great entry exercise to the power of slow and controlled movements.
	17. Hip Rotations (Push-up Position) I’ve always had problems finding a good hip exercise – do this before any push-up exercises so you can stabilize your body before fatigue.
	18. Side Lunge Advanced in terms of needing to include some movement into what becomes a static pose.
	19. Side Lying Hip Abduction A common mistake is raising the leg too high in this exercise.  Small but effective movement.
	20. Side Lying Hip Adduction Even smaller movement than Abduction but equally important.
	21. Side Plank (Modified) Advanced exercise that brings together a combination of core exercises.  If you feel joint pain, STOP.
	22. Side Plank with Straight Leg Don’t forget to breathe on this exercise – exhale on the exertion.
	23. Single Leg Stand I do this one while brushing my teeth in the morning – some call it crazy, I call it multi-tasking.
	24. Standing Calf Raises – Wall My shins are my weak points, thus finding a great exercise like this to improve that area is important.
	25. Supine Pelvic Tilts May not look like an abdominal exercise, but you will feel the burn after a set of these.