

Jump as high as you can while flinging your arms forward and overhead. The hip action in a jump is the same as the hinge pattern you perform with your hips during a deadlift or clean-bend them back while keeping a long spine. Picture a half- squat position or slightly shallower-your hips must be behind your knees. Quickly dip your hips and knees, throwing your arms behind you to gather momentum. This will turn the hips on for better jumping power. Drive your knees outward without moving your feet, so you feel tension in your hips. If they’re wider than that, you won’t be able to translate as much power from your legs directly into the ground. Stand with your feet directly under your hips. See 00:25 in the video above for Eden’s demonstration and a walk-through of all the steps. – Abdominals and core (transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, multifidi, erector spinae), for trunk stability How To Test Your Verticalīefore we explain how to build your jump, let’s make sure you know how to jump properly in the first place and can get a baseline measurement for it. – Calves (gastrocnemius, soleus), for ankle extension (plantarflexion) – Hamstrings ( biceps femoris, semimembranosis, semitendonosis), for hip extension, knee flexion, and absorbing landings – Quadriceps (vastus lateralis, intermedius, and medialis rectus femoris), for knee extension – Glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius), for hip extension

Below are the muscles that make it possible. Whether you’re watching an Olympic weightlifter perform a clean, a sprinter take off down the track, or a basketball player go up for a dunk, triple extension is the driver. Muscles Used for JumpingĪ jump is the result of triple extension: the simultaneous and explosive extension of the hips, knees, and ankles. And Firdose Khan ( head trainer at Nine Innovations athlete training facility in Houston, has worked with such athletes as former NBA MVP Derrick Rose and NFLers Arian Foster, Braxton Miller, and Brian Cushing.įollow their advice, as demonstrated in the video above by the talented Hannah Eden ( a distinguished coach in her own right, and you’ll be jumping out of the gym in no time. This list of movements was compiled by a pair of trainers who know a thing or two about making athletes more explosive: Jason Benguche, former assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Carolina Panthers and Director of Performance for Jet Movement Labs ( on Instagram), has worked one-on-one with NFL quarterback Cam Newton.
