This can be you dunking like this.

Have you watched athletes in basketball, football, or any sport for that matter, make those gravity-defying leaping plays and you wished that you knew how to jump higher? You may have also thought that these great leapers were ‘born with’ their talent in jumping high and it is because of their genetics that they inherited. It is true that while some athletes were lucky to be born with the natural ability to ‘fly in the air’ than others, many people that you see dunking a basketball or making leaping plays did not have the advantage of genetics and instead worked hard for each inch of their tremendous vertical leap.

Having a proper vertical jump training program is crucial if you ever want to add a sizable increase in your vertical leap. The program must includeexercises on how to jump higher that increase your strength, as well as workouts that increase your speed and explosiveness.

The fundamental principles in the physics of the maximum amount of height a person can leap into the air are the amount of force they can exert from the ground, and the speed in which they can exert that force. To improve upon these two principles, one must combine the most effective aspects of weight and resistance training to jump higher, and plyometrics into a well structured routine.

Although you can very easily put together a decent workout routine for yourself that will more than likely produce results, it is highly recommended and more effective that you use a professionally constructed program from one of the experts that specialize in the vertical jump field. The coaches and athletes are people who have spent time researching the techniques and methods to add inches to the average persons’ vertical leap. Not all vertical jump programs are equal so it is important that you research before you make any decision and/or purchase. To help you with your research, we have reviewed the top 3 jump higher programs. In the meantime while you’re going through our reviews, you can read more about basic tips on how to jump higher.

Achieving a vertical jump of forty plus inches does not come easy. However, gaining multiple inches on your vertical leap is attainable through a combination of consistent hard work and a quality jump program that will guide you effectively. For further motivation, check out the articles, you can read about success stories and watch videos from ordinary people that obtained their vertical jump goals. In your quest in learning to improving your vertical, remember that only the sky is the limit, literally.

With that said, we know that most are ambitious and already have the mindset to put in the sweat and work to achieve their goal of increasing their vertical leap, so the differentiation between a program worth purchasing and a program that you should not waste your money with, will be the quality and effectiveness of a program’s techniques.

So, we have reviewed the most popular vertical jump programs on the market and we have narrowed them down for your convenience. Below we have listed the top 3 programs on how to jump higher. For each review: we give you an overview of the program, a summary of our opinion about the program, and the price of the program.

Top 3 Programs on How to Jump Higher

Rank #1: Jump Manual

Overview: The Jump Manual is the most popular program on how to jump higher, currently. There are countless users of the program that have claimed that they have increased their vertical jump height from the mid-30 inches to 40+ inches. It uses a multifaceted approach in guiding you on how to jump higher. The program was developed by Jacob Hiller, a professional trainer that has worked with college, NBA, and Olympic athletes. It also has numerous legitimate testimonials, which is always a positive sign that its system and techniques work.

In short: Best bang for the buck – a very comprehensive package that includes an e-book, software, workout charts, and a members forum. Currently, a free one-month one-on-one training session is also included.

Price: $67.00

Get the Jump Manual Here

Rank #2: Vert Freak 101

Overview: The Vert Freak 101 was developed by Adam Linkenauger, a recognized vertical jump experts by professional athletes, coaches, and Olympians. It contains various workouts and exercises that will keep your muscles guessing and shocking them into producing a noticeable amount of vertical force and explosion.

In Short: A good value for a solid program.

Price: $49.95

Get the Vert Freak 101 Here

Rank #3: Vertical Explosion

Overview: The Vertical Explosion has mixed reviews on the Internet, but the content within the system is pretty good, so it is questionable where mixed results among users come from. It contains a decent variety of exercises and workouts that can help you improve your vertical jump. The creator offers an 8 week 100% satisfaction guarantee.

In short: Cheap and affordable, but it is not as comprehensive as the top two programs above – the Jump Manual and the Vert Freak.

Price: $37.00

Get the Vertical Explosion Training Program Here

1. Get your limit strength exercises heavier. Limit strength exercises increase the force or strength producing capabilities of your muscles.
2. Get your explosive strength exercises faster. Explosive strength exercises focus on developing maximal starting and explosive strength, without much involvement of the reflexive stretch-shortening cycle (reactive strength).
3. Get your reactive strength exercises higher. Reactive strength exercises will boost your reactive/reflexive capabilities by increasing your body’s ability to absorb force, stabilize force, and reflexively react to that force.

Limit Strength Exercises

• Full Back Squat – This is a classic exercise, but make sure you descend down to parallel or below knee level. This exercise works all the major muscle groups we need for speed and leaping ability. Perform for 3-8 repetitions per set.
• Deadlift – Load up an Olympic bar and bend down, grab the bar, and pick it up while keeping your back straight and using the power of your glutes and hamstrings to initiate the movement. Deadlifts are a superior strengthening exercise for the glutes and hamstrings and also develop whole body power through their influence on the traps, grip, and upper back. Perform 3-8 repetitions per set.
• Split Squats – This is basically a single leg squat, with the non-working leg elevated on a bench behind you. Perform this exercise by holding a dumbell in each hand, descend until the back knee touches the floor and then explode back up to the start position. Perform 5-15 repetions per set.

Explosive Strength Exercises

• Box Squat – This movement is just like the full-back squat except you will be using a wide stance while sitting back on a box just below parallel and pausing before each repetition. Use a load equivalent to 50-60% of your maximum full-back squat lift and explode up trying to use your hips and hamstrings.
• Jump Shrug – This is a lead in to a clean or snatch movement. Starting from either the floor, explode up initiating the movement with your legs and hips. As you extend your hips and start to leave the floor follow through by shrugging your shoulders up. Perform 3-6 repetitions per set.
• Clean and Snatch – These movements are explosive by nature and in order to perform them correctly you must instantly be able to develop maximum force. They also heavily involve the hip extensors, which are key for speed and jumping ability. Perform 2-5 reps per set.

Reactive Strength Exercises

• Ankle Jumps – jump off of the ground in rhythm by just springing off your ankles. While you’re in the air you want to pull your toes up. You also must prevent your heels from ever touching the ground. The key to this exercise lies in your ability to keep your knees locked while jumping and landing on and off the ground, as well as spending the least amount of time on the ground as possible. Perform 20 reps per set.
• Shock Jumps – Find a box equivalent to about the height of your best vertical jump. Next, step off the box and upon contact instantly try to absorb the impact without any movement and without letting your heels touch the ground. You want to land in a powerful, yet soft manner. You can continue to increase the height of the box until you can no longer land smooth and quiet. You can perform these by landing in a slight knees bent position, or by landing in a deeper squat position. The more knee bend the more the hamstrings and glutes are involved. Perform 3 reps per set.
• Reverse Hyperextension – This movement works hip extension hitting the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors all during the course of one rep. If you don’t have a reverse hyper device you can get backwards in a back raise or glute-ham machine and apply load by placing a rope or chains strung through weights around your ankles. To initiate the movement raise your legs up to parallel. You should feel a strong contraction in your glutes and hamstrings. Next, quickly allow your legs and the weight to fall and then about 2/3 of the way down regather tension and explode back up. This creates a reactive contraction in the hip extensors. Perform 8-15 reps per set.

>> Check Out Jacob Hiller’s Jump Manual & Learn How To Jump Higher <<

The first is weight training. Weight training involves lifting against a resistance in order to develop strength in the muscle fibers that are involved in jumping.

Secondly, performing plyometric exercises will greatly contribute in helping you jump higher. Plyometrics involves training that is designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports.

Next, having the appropriate mindset aids greatly in the journey of working on your vertical. Mental persistence plays a key role in achieving a higher vertical leap because attaining a noticeable improvement in your jump will not happen overnight. It is achieved through consistent exercises and workouts over a certain extent of time and this will result in a toll on your body and your mind. Staying strong mentally and believing that the hard work will pay off in the end are both important mental states to have while you are on a jump training program.

To solidify and reap the proper gains from breaking down the body because of strength training and plyometrics, it is essential that you consume proper nutrition and obtain adequate rest so that the body can rebuild itself and recover from the rigorous training.

By combining all of the above, you will reap the rewards from your efforts in training on how to jump higher.

Tip #1: Visualizing An Increase

First, test how high you can currently jump – for example, you can see how high on a basketball backboard you can get. Next, close your eyes and visualize yourself exploding upwards to a goal you have. Imagine all the muscles in your legs getting stronger and bigger. Then, you should focus on feeling lighter, loose, and springy on your feet. Finally repeat this in your head “I feel myself getting more powerful and much lighter.” Now you’re ready to try that same jump again. Using the power of the mind allows your body to recognize that it can improve upon its current jump limitation.

Tip #2: Forceful Arm-Swing

This jump factor can account for 15% more lift. When you jump concentrate on swinging your arms up fast, timing it with the jump. Swinging your arms helps with the momentum when you exert force upon the ground.

Tip #3: Inner Abdominal Strength

The abdominal wall, which are underneath your abdominal muscles, plays a key role in every power movement and by making them stronger they will help you increase inches on your vertical jump. One technique to develop inner abdominal strength is to suck in your stomach with a deep breath and hold this position for 20 seconds. Repeat this 4 more times and do these 3-4 times a week to reap the performance rewards.

Tip #4: The Overspeed Jump

This requires a small trampoline, but if you do not have one a makeshift ramp about 6 feet in length can be used as substitute. You will need a target that you will jump for, like a basketball hoop. Place the trampoline 1-2 strides away from the goal. Next, run and make your last step before you plant to jump is a stride off the tramp (note: you’re not doing actual jumps off the trampoline or ramp). This causes you to overspeed your run just before the actual take-off, making your legs jump quicker. As a result, it will teach your muscles to move faster through the jump.

Tip #5: Flexibility

I’m sure you’ve seen gymnasts on TV pulling off triple backflips after a 3-4 consecutive somersaults. These elite athletes can generate a lot of total body power because all of them have total body flexibility. Improve your flexibility by stretching at least 3 times a week. Another tip is to sttretch only after your workouts as research indicates stretching before a workout or an activity actually decreases your body’s power output. Focus on stretching exercises that concentrate on the hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes.

Tip #6: Build Or Speed Up Fast-Twitch Fibers

Focus more on exercises and workouts that concentrate on building fast-twitch muscle fibers (in contrast to slow-twitch muscle fibers). You want fast-twitch fibers because they are more efficient at using the creatine phosphate energy system. Perform high-intensity/short duration drills like sprinting. Interestingly enough sprinters have the highest % of fast-twitch muscles of all athletes. Developing your fast-twitch fibers will greatly assist in your jumping explosiveness and is a key on how to jump higher.

Tip #7: Strengthen The Tibialis Anterior

The Tibialis Anterior (or commonly called the dorsi-flexors) are your shin muscles. Build these and you will add inches to your jump, eliminate shin splints, and improve the quickness of your explosiveness. These muscles stabilize the lower leg allowing maximum take-off force and they counter-balance your calf muscles. You can only be as strong as the opposing muscles, so hundreds of weighted calf raises will soon plateau if you don’t develop these stabilizers. One way to exercise them is to walk around on your heels without letting the ball of your foot touch. Do this until you feel a good burn.

Tip #8: Waveloading

This technique involves loading your body with a heavier weight before jumping, like a medicine ball. Grab a medicine ball and jump a few times. What this does is your body will recruit more motor units in the working muscles. As a result, your body will allow the jump to seem much easier when you don’t have the weight because you are now using more motor units.

Tip #9: Springbak Speedsoles

These micro-thin shoe inserts are used by the U.S.A. Olympic volleyball team. These inserts can add an immediate 2 inch increase in vertical jump and a drop in 40 yard dash times of 1/10 of a second.

Tip #10: Strengthen The Toe Muscles

There is a piece of muscle, called the Hallucis Longus, that start in the lower leg and comes down to your foot’s big toe. Work this muscle by curling in (or crunching) toes. Another exercise is to push up onto the tip toes and hold that for at least 10 seconds. Working out this muscle can add another inch to your vertical jump.

The things you will need to perform these exercises is to get boxes or anything you can jump off that are in varying heights. The first exercise is a warm-up, and these are the squat jumps – get into a squatting position and jump as high as you can with your arms thrusting you up into the air. The next exercise is the box jump, which involves jumping off a box of some height and jumping back up on the box as quickly again. Another exercise is called bounding, and this involves you jogging and leaping off one leg at a time and switching on and off. Do each of the exercises for 10 reps and 3 sets, every other day.

Incorporating plyometric exercises is essential to any athlete that is determined to increase their vertical. Plyometric exercises are some of the most effective jump training exercises available and with dedicated training, you will definitely see results in your quest in how to jump higher.

Plyometrics are one of the many effective exercises that you can perform to increase your vertical. Check out more tips on how to jump higher.

Here’s a clip of Cuban high jumper, Javier Sotomayor, setting the indoor world record of 7ft 11 1/2in.(2.43m) on March 4th, 1989. His outdoor record is 8ft 1/2in.(2.45m).

The infamous 1988 NBA slam dunk contest between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. Notice neither Jordan or Wilkins have enormous calves or humongous thighs. It is a common misconception that you need to have huge calves in order to jump high. Solely having big calves will not make you jump higher. To help you with achieving your vertical leap goals, check out some of these programs on how to jump higher.