Vertical jumping is a valuable ability for many types of athletes.

A vertical jump is a demonstration of the individual's ability and power. To measure a vertical jump, the individual will jump straight up into the air from a standstill position. The difference between the height the individual can reach naturally and the height the individual reaches during flight is the measurement of a vertical jump.

To increase your vertical jump you will need to incorporate moves into your workout that will strengthen your leg muscles and increase flexibility.

• The quadriceps is the large group of muscles in the front of the thigh. The quadriceps is attached to the knee and hip flexors. Before working out, do a light warm up to avoid injury.

Review the exercise sheet from AthleticAdvisor.com:
http://www.athleticadvisor.com/Injuries/LE/quad_strengthening.htm

This sheet contains the following exercises that will strengthen you quads.

1. Straight Leg Raises
2. Knee Flexion
3. Knee Extension
4. Hip Flexion
5. Calf Raises
6. Squats
7. Front Step-ups
8. Side Step-ups
9. Standing Terminal Knee Extensions
10. Heel Slides

As time in your workout schedule allows, rotate these exercises into your routine. This will maximize your workout and decrease the amount of time required to improve your vertical jump.

• The calf muscles are the two muscles in the back of your lower leg. They are connected to the foot via foot the Achilles tendon.

MyFit.ca has formed an excellent list of calf muscle exercises at:
http://www.myfit.ca/exercisedatabase/search.asp?muscle=Calf

From MyFit.ca, a specific selection of exercises that will help improve your vertical jump include:

1. Snatch-Calf Exercise

1. Calf Raises on Leg Press Machine

1. Standing Calf Raises

1. Jump Squat

1. Step Ups

Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint. If your muscles are tight, your ability to jump will be hindered. Increasing the flexibility of your tendons, muscles and ligaments will increase the power of your jump. Regularly stretching your muscles will help lengthen the muscles and increase range of motion. For the best results, you will need to stretch your quads, calves, hamstrings, Achilles tendon and hip flexors.

HolisticOnline.com has a good list of exercises that will increase your flexibility. The exercises that are outlined focus on legs and hips. They include:

1. Straight Leg Raises
2. Hip Hooray
3. Back Kick
4. Knee Strengthener
5. Power Knees
6. Hamstring Stretch
7. Achilles Stretch
8. Tiptoes