Abs Diet- Vertical Leap Leg Exercises  

How do I improve my vertical leap?

Trainer Mark Verstegen gets this question more than any other. Vertical leap is measured by subtracting your standing reach (how high you can extend one arm above your head) from your jump reach (the highest point you can touch by jumping straight up), which for most NBA players is between 28 and 34 inches.

 

To improve your vertical leap, you'll have to increase your relative strength, or the power you're able to produce pound for pound. You'll also need to develop the timing and coordination to fire all of your jumping muscles simultaneously.

Roughly 10 percent of your power will come from your calves, a third will come from your quads, another third will come from your glutes and hamstrings, and the rest will come from your back and rector muscles. "Bringing all that power together at the same time is called a summation of forces," Verstegen says. "It's like when you snap a towel and all the energy is concentrated in a single pop!"

Squat JumpThis will help you build explosive power in your hips and legs. Stand in an athletic position with your feet outside your hips and your hands on your head. Keeping your back erect and your stomach tight, lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Then jump, pushing up with your glutes and quads. Extend your ankles, knees, and hips in a straight line and land back in an athletic position.Squat to PressThis will help you develop total body strength and power. Stand with dumbbells at shoulder height, elbows resting on your ribs, palms facing each other. Squat down until the tops of your thighs are parallel to the floor, then explode up with your hips and quads, using the momentum to drive the weights off your shoulders and over your head. You should finish with your arms and legs straight. Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders, then drop into a full squat and repeat.Romanian DeadliftThis will build strength in your hamstrings, glutes, and back. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip just wider than your shoulders, or stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Shift your hips back and lower the bar as far as you can while keeping your back straight. Don't think of the exercise as bending forward; think of it as sitting back, but with your torso moving forward instead of staying upright. Fire your hamstrings and glutes as you return to an upright position.

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