Ironically the question, how vertical jump can be helpful with your overall fitness, is often misinterpreted.
Athletes and laymen often consider vertical jump as a mechanism to improve your basketball playing abilities.
While this is true but vertical jump does much more than just improve your basketball or even volleyball playing capabilities. It is an exercise that can catapult your entire body to an all new (athletic) level.
The explosive power that your body generates via a vertical leap tends to regenerate the lost energy within your body. Besides giving a boost to your muscles, joints and tendons, it also enables your cardiovascular system to improve dramatically.
In this article, I shall be discussing the health benefits of vertical jump. This is for an active athlete and a non-performing athlete (both alike).
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How Vertical Jump can be Helpful with Your Overall Fitness Write-up Contents:
1) How Vertical Jump Improves Your Bone Health?
2) Why is Bone Health Important for You?
3) How Vertical Jump Improves Your Muscle Power & Strength?
4) How does Vertical Jump Improve Your Joints & Tendons?
5) What does Vertical Jump do to Your Cardiovascular System?
6) How Vertical Jump is a Health Related Fitness Component?
7) Conclusion
How Vertical Jump Improves Your Bone Health?
The American Journal of Health Promotion has stated that bone density increases significantly when you perform vertical jumps daily. All you need to do is perform 10 jumps a day to increase your bone density.
Bone Mineral Density:
Ideally, in order to achieve 0.5% growth in bone density, you should jump 10 times daily. The gap or rest period between each jump should not exceed 35 seconds.
Your bone mass tends to deteriorate when you have crossed the 45 year age mark (especially in woman). So, getting it back on track is of vital importance. Failing to do so can lead to adverse health complications.
Menopause in Men and Women:
Post menopause, women have been known to lose almost 21% of their bone density. This is an alarming figure indeed. It is also a clear indicator that chronic arthritis and osteoporosis is on the way.
So, jumping high in the air is a solution to your deteriorating bone health. If you are 25 years old then, it may not be an issue. But when you turn 40 then, bone density (with special regards to the mineral density) starts to deteriorate.
The Nutrient Absorption Rate:
As your bones are exercised when you jump high in the air, they demand more nutrients. So, the calcium and minerals that you consume are absorbed rapidly. This in turn strengthens your bones and ensures that you maintain optimal bone health.
Statistics on Low Bone Mass:
Almost 44 million men and woman are adversely affected with low bone mass. The chances of these men and women fracturing their bones are very high (in the wake of an accident). Osteoporosis and chronic arthritis is also quite common in them.
Why is Bone Health Important for You?
Bone tissues are always subject to wear and tear. When you are younger, your bone tissues break down rather quickly but they also rebuild at warp speed.
As you grow older (say, in your late 40’s) then, your bone tissues are breaking down at the same pace but they are not being re-built at the same pace. This discrepancy in break-down vs re-building is what causes your bone mass to deteriorate.
Osteoporosis and chronic arthritis are just a few such complications that people with low mass density suffer from. Performing vertical jumps daily tends to reduce the loss in bone density dramatically (even as you age).
Your Current Bone Health is Dependent on the Following Factors:
The bones in your body tend to weaken or strengthen depending on how you treat or mistreat them.
Here are some of the major contributing factors for the same:
>>> When you avoid vertical jumps or any other physical activity, your bone density tends to deteriorate. If you jump daily then, your bone density tends to increase dramatically.
>>> In case you are super-thin then, your bone mass tends to be less. So, vertical jumps can help increase your lean muscle mass. This in turn tends to increase your bone density levels as well.
>>> When you are leading a sedentary lifestyle, chances are that your meals are unhealthy. Fast food and processed foods tend to compromise a major portion of your meals.
Nonetheless, when you perform vertical jumps, you tend to consume healthier meals. This is natural as your body literally begs you to eat greens and fruits. A diet rich in greens, fruits and veggies tends to promote healthier bones and vice versa.
>>> Some regions in the world (Africa, Asia etc.) tend to witness deteriorated bone density. Other areas such as Europe have people with better bone density in people. It’s just a geographical debacle of sorts.
>>> Hormonal imbalances tend to deteriorate bone density in both males and females. Menopause and thyroid are to be blamed for the same.
>>> In case you are taking medications for cancer treatment or depression then again, such medicines tend to deteriorate your bone health.
Importance of Having Good Bone Health:
>>> Good bone health tends to support lean muscle mass as opposed to low bone density.
>>> When you have good bone health then, your body is athletic. You can achieve laurels in various sports.
>>> Good bone health implies that you have to pay less medical insurance premiums.
>>> When your bone health is good, you automatically tend to avoid diseases related to poor bone density. Some of these include osteoporosis and arthritis.
>>> You avoid being over-weight as good bones permit you to exercise efficiently.
How Vertical Jumps Improve Your Muscle Power & Strength?
When you perform vertical jumps, you tend to activate your lower body. Your upper half of the body too is activated but to a certain extent only. You need not to wonder ‘how are vertical jumps measured‘ at this point. Just focus on its health benefits.
Here they are:
The Explosive Power:
Your muscle and strength can improve and increase dramatically when you perform this form of exercise. After all, your glutes, calves, hamstrings and even quadriceps are involved in the jump. So, when you jump high in the air, your muscle power is definitely improved.
Muscle Fiber Activation:
When you perform vertical leaps, you tend to activate your muscle fibers a lot. Both the ‘fast twitch’ as well as the ‘slow twitch’ fibers in your muscles is activated when you perform this exercise.
Owing to this activation, lean muscle mass is developed. You tend to increase the muscle size as well as power in your lower body area. So, you can hope to perform and excel in any athletic sporting activity.
The Hip and the Quad Strength:
Your thigh muscles (glutes and hamstrings) tend to work really hard when you jump up in the air. They generate power for the leap and then control your body during the decent.
So, the lengthening as well as shortening of the muscles in the thigh and hamstrings is optimized via your vertical jumps. Your hips too are responsible for stabilizing your body (both during the flight as well as during the decent).
The Ankle, Feet & Calf Strength:
A vertical jump tends to involve your calf as well as your ankle. Your ankle tends to lengthen when you jump higher. This lengthening process is boosted via the added stress instigated by the calf muscle.
The soleus as well as the gastrocnemius muscle is activated via the vertical jump. So, your calves are automatically activated and strengthened.
As the calf muscles are joined to the ankle, your tendons and connective tissues around your ankle too are strengthened. Even the toes are flexed when you jump higher. This helps develop the overall strength in your feet.
The Abdominal Muscle Strength:
When you perform vertical jumps, your core is activated. The transverse abdominis muscle group is targeted the most. Your core muscles tend to provide the much needed balance to your body.
So, jumping high in the air activates your abdominal muscles thereby strengthening them. Your oblique muscles too are activated as they help stabilize your entire body.
The upper as well as lower abdominal muscles too are worked upon when you leap high in the air. Hence, your core muscle groups are exercised, strengthened and flexed optimally via this exercise form (vertical jumping).
The Shoulder and Arm Muscle Strength:
Whenever you jump high in the air, kinetic & mechanical energy is generated. The elbows and shoulders are responsible for storing kinetic energy during the downward movement of the vertical jump.
When you jump high in the air, the energy is released via your shoulder and elbows. The propelling motion thus helps generate explosive power.
So, your upper body is generating force that helps you jump higher. It also enables your arms to become more powerful. The tendons, joints and muscles of the arms and shoulders are exercised efficiently via vertical jumps.
How does Vertical Jump Improve Your Joints & Tendons?
Well, vertical jumps work wonders for your joints as well as the tendons supporting these joints. The sagittal plane is responsible for initiating the vertical jump action in the human body.
The major joints that are involved in the vertical jump are the knee, hip and the ankle. All of these are worked to their optimal potential. The end result is a leap that you always dream off.
The Hip Joint & Connecting Muscles:
When you achieve a vertical jump, the hip joint and the connective tissues are activated. The action thus derived from the vertical jump (on the hip joint) is both extension and hyperextension.
The muscles involved (of the hip) include gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus, the bicep hamstring, semitendinosus, femoris and the semimembranosus.
The Knee Joint & Connecting Muscles:
During a vertical jump, the knee’s action is that of extension alone. The muscles (agonist) of the quad are majorly in play here. These include the vastus intermedialis, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and the vastus medialis.
The Ankle Joint:
Apart from the feet, the ankle joint plays a major role in helping you achieve a vertical jump. The action that your ankle performs is termed as plantar flexion. The agonist muscle that is involved here is gastrocnemius.
Achilles Tendon:
The muscle of the calf is connected with the ankle joint with the help of the Achilles tendon. It is primarily responsible for allowing your heel to leave the ground.
So, when you jump vertically, the Achilles tendon is activated and strengthened. It helps provide the much needed ‘springing’ action when you are lifting your body off the ground.
Illiotibial Band Tendon:
The second tendon that is affected and exercised the most during a vertical jump is the Illiotibial band tendon. Also known as the ITB, this tendon connects the knee joint to the pelvic bone.
It is a tendon that tends to stretch like elastic. Illiotibial band tendon compromises of thick fibrous tissues that are responsible for maintaining ideal posture of an athlete. It also helps stabilize the pelvic bone of the concerned individual.
What does Vertical Jump do to Your Cardiovascular System?
When you perform vertical jumps, you tend to activate your entire body. Apart from just your lower body (which is powered the most), your upper body too is stimulated when you leap high in the air.
Here is how vertical jump can improve your cardiovascular health:
>>> When you jump high in the air, you are working your body against gravity. This in turn compels you to speed up your metabolism. The end result is maintaining normal body weight.
>>> The higher you jump, the more oxygen you need. So, the flow of oxygen in your body (to various other organs and tissues) is automatically increased when you jump higher.
>>> Vertical jump requires you to maintain optimal body balance. So, if your body balance is compromised, vertical jumps can help bridge this gap effectively.
>>> Your lymph system is improved dramatically when you jump higher. The fluid containing white blood cells is circulated through your system more efficiently when you perform vertical jumps daily.
>>> As your blood is pumped faster, your heart automatically strengthens. Hence, vertical jumps help develop your cardiac muscles.
How Vertical Jump is a Health Related Fitness Component?
Vertical jumps have been known to help basketball players dunk better. Even volleyball players tend to benefit from this exercise. Heck, high jump athletes too swear by them.
But what about a layman? How would vertical jumps help them?
Well, let’s find out:
Muscle Strength Improves Dramatically:
Regardless of whether you are an athlete or not, vertical jumps tend to dramatically increase your muscle strength. By activating both the small and large muscle fibers, vertical jumps tend to increase your explosive strength.
Blood Circulation & Heart Health Improves:
The next benefit of vertical jumping for a layman is with regards to his/her heart health. When your heart pumps faster (owing to the extra need for oxygen), your cardiac muscles get stronger. This action (jumping high in the air) improves your blood circulation.
Saves Your Joints from Extra Suffering:
When you leap high in the air from a static position, you place the least possible impact on your joints. This also implies to your muscles and tendons. So, without adversely impacting your joints, this form of exercise improves your overall health & well-being.
Improves Bone Density:
Your bones tend to start losing their density as you age. Nonetheless, when you perform vertical jumps on a regular basis, your bone mass tends to increase. This enables you to maintain strong and healthy bones even when you age.
You Lose Extra Body Fat:
As your metabolism is hastened when you perform vertical jumps, you tend to maintain optimal body weight. Loss of extra body fat is evident when you perform this exercise. So, you end up enjoying a slim and fit physique.
Your Motor Skills Improve:
As you need to balance and propel your body in an explosive manner, your motor skills are tested to their limit. So, vertical jumps tend to improve your body co-ordination, when performed on a regular basis.
Peace of Mind is Inevitable:
When you are performing vertical jumps on a regular basis, you are mentally satisfied. The results derived from this exercises are physically as well as mentally stimulating. You may excel in your chosen sport or lose body fat. Either ways, your mind is put to ease.
No Extra Equipment Required:
Vertical jump is a zero cost exercise. All you need is a small space and the will to jump higher. You do not need to visit a fancy gym or buy fancy equipment in order to perform this exercise. So, you save on money and avoid traveling (to a field or gym).
Conclusion:
The question ‘how vertical jump can be helpful with your overall fitness’ has hopefully been answered to your satisfaction. While not each and every aspect of the human health can be possibly covered in a single write-up, I have tried to include the most important aspects of vertical jumps that are linked directly to the human well-being (both mental & physical).
You need not to be an elite athlete in order to perform vertical jumps. Even a layman with no athletic background or sporting aspirations can benefit immensely from vertical jumps.
Hence, for the sake of better health, you can include this exercise form in your daily lifestyle. It shall work wonders for you!