Tag Archives: jumping higher

In order for you to jump high, many muscles in your body are used. Jumping is a movement which basically includes the whole body, starting from the shoulders and ending with toes. Yet, the importance of some muscles is significantly higher than the importance of others! Starting from the basics, it is logical that the most work has to be done by legs and feet and to those other muscles playing smaller parts are added. Image credit: stephricefitness.com The main strength which pushes you up when jumping comes from your thighs and glutes. Both the front and back sides of your thighs play an important role, also strong glutes are very helpful. Therefore one of the more common exercises for developing vertical jump is squats with a barbell. Deep squats and half-squats imitate the jumping movement i.e. in basketball. In order to jump high these muscles have to exceed a load equal to multiple times your body-weight! In addition to the upper leg muscles, also calf muscles and the foot are important. Although the calf muscles are not primary in a powerful vertical jump, they are still next in rank to the aforementioned. When jumping, the calf muscles work with … Continue reading →