Are you looking for some basic movements to advance your vertical jump? Since there are several, we'll help you narrow down the list a little. These will provide you a good foundation to start from. You must make sure that you follow them closely. Many people perform the correct exercises, but they don't do them correctly. Start with the exercises we outline below and you will have a good groundwork for improving your vertical jump.

You may believe the only muscles you need to work on throughout your vertical jumping workouts are your leg muscles, but that's not the case. The muscles in the back and waist are also exceptionally vital. Many of the back muscles are heavily involved and need strengthening as well. Vertical jumping exercises should include working on this area. Which brings us to our initial exercise.

Dead Lifts

A first-rate exercise to begin with is the dead lift. Remembering to attempt to keep you back as upright as possible, bend your knees and grasp down and grab the barbell. Come to an upright position while holding the bar. Slowly lower the weight back down. Execute three sets of 6-8 repetitions. To avoid injury, do not yank the bar, but perform the exercise quickly and steadily. Take a brief rest after these first 3 sets. Then do the next set, but this time take your time and be aware of the full range of your muscles.

Leg Presses

An additional high-quality exercise is leg presses. Load a leg press machine with weights. Position your feet about shoulder width apart. Bring the plate down slowly until your knees bend to your chest, and then quickly push it away. It's not about the slow and steady here. You need to practice the explosive move to get the most out of the muscles you will use when jumping. Repeat this exercise six times - and perform five sets. Let muscles to have a rest between sets.

Medicine Ball

For our very last exercise we will make use of a medicine ball instead of a basketball. Acting like you are trying to dunk the ball, jump with the medicine ball toward the rim. Make certain to extend your reach and try to get the ball as high as you are able to. This will help build up all the muscles you will be using when you slam dunk for real. As with the leg presses, make sure to be explosive when you complete this exercise.

These three exercises are just three of several that can help improve your vertical leap. Start with these and as soon as you can do them well, you can advance to new exercises. Don't fail to remember to use the correct form while performing these exercises. It can help you evade injury.