Leg Presses | Buffing Up

Vertical Jumping Workouts – 3 Fantastic Workouts To Get You In The Air

May 192010

So you would like to know some good vertical jumping exercises? There are a few out there.There are some particularly that may beef up your capability to jump higher. You need to be sure you follow them exactly. Many people perform the right exercises, but they do not do them in the right way. Add these three exercises to your vertical coaching and you will be well on the way to adding major inches to your vertical.

You may think the only muscles you need to work on during your vertical jumping workouts are your leg muscles, but that is’s not right. Your lumbar region and erector muscles need to be strong too. The erector muscles are the most powerful in the back and take on the most work. Vertical jumping exercises should include working on this area. Dead lifts are great. Arch your back, bend your knees while holding the weighted bar. Come to an upright position while holding the bar. Slowly lower the weight back down. The first three sets of 6-8 reps should be done quickly but continuously to avoid injury. Take a rest. Then do the following set, but this time take your time and feel the full range of your muscles.

Another healthy exercise is leg presses. Load a leg press machine with weights. Place feet high and away from you. Bring the plate down slowly until your knees bend at your chest, and then quickly push it away. It’s not about the slow and steady here. You need to practice the explosive force to get the most out of the muscles you may use when jumping higher. Do 5 sets of six reps. Permit muscles to rest between sets.

Finally, use a heavy medicine ball in the place of a basketball. Pretend you’re going to slam dunk, but do not basically throw the ball! Exaggerate the movements and reach for the rim.This may help bolster all the muscles you’ll be using when you slam dunk for real . Do not forget to push yourself to the maximum. This is still exercise!

These three exercises are just 3 of many that may help raise your vertical jumping. Mix these with more jumping exercises. Make sure you do them properly, though. You don’t want to do all that work for nothing.

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Legs: Work Them Hard, Watch Them Grow

Exercise 1 Response »

Feb 122010

With all of the possible exercises and exercise combinations—squats, lunges, calf raises, leg presses, step-ups—leg workout days can be killer. Because the legs are made up of such large muscles, and because so many lower body exercises are compound exercises, it is not difficult to work the legs hard. The best leg workouts I’ve had have consistently been those where I used a variety of exercise movements and equipment to work to fatigue from every angle. They are also some of the toughest workouts that can be done. If you’re interested in real weight lifting, then this article is for you. Here is a sample of what I would consider one of the best leg workouts possible.

Warm up with some light cardio for a few minutes. Push it a bit at the end to really get your muscles warm and push your heart rate up.

Cable Squats

If you’re new to the cable/ weight stack apparatus, take a minute to find the right amount of counterbalance weight. If the machine is adjustable, move the pulleys and handle almost to the floor. During the squat, grip the handle or bar close to your chest, and allow the weight stack to counter balance as you flex your knees and push your hips back and down. As you lower your body, keep your weight evenly distributed between legs, and centered through your heels.

The narrower the stance, the more the quads get worked. Stand Shoulder width apart. To really target your vastus medialis (inner quads muscle), do a set or two while squeezing a small, inflatable ball between your knees.

Try reverse lunges to really hit the hamstrings, leg by leg, while putting only minimal stress on your lower back.

Between barbell squats, calf raises, and plyometric lunges, and work with resistance bands, my legs felt like jelly as I left the gym.

Sidesteps with Resistance Band

If you do this one right, it should make your gluts and outer thighs burn. This exercise really pounds the quads, and that’s why it’s part of the workout. Step on the center, grasping a resistance band. Begin with feet shoulder width apart. Drop the hip downwards steadily as you keep the band tightly pulled. Pick up your right foot (the band should come with it) and take as large a step as possible to the side. Follow with your left foot. For one set, take 10-15 steps to the right; then retrace your steps moving to the left. Complete the movement slowly, maintaining a bend in the knees.

Plyometric Lunges

Any type of lunge is a great leg workout, as long as you focus on keeping your knee behind your foot and not letting your legs “wobble” back and forth. Plyos are a part of my best leg workout because of the extra workout required to propel your body off of the ground and land with control. Granted, they aren’t up there with barbell back squats but they certainlly pack a punch. The idea is simple: start in a regular lunge. From the lowest position, jump up and switch your legs (moving one forward and the other back). Land in the opposite position to the one you started in, and lower yourself again into a squat. Concentrate on good form and upper body posture throughout the movement.

The best leg workout you’ve ever had should start off with a few sets of each of these exercises, for versatile, compound lower body movements. If you find yourself wanting more, try upping your squat weight, or using a band with more resistance for your side steps. Even if you won’t call it the best leg workout of your life, I’m betting that your legs will concede it’s a good one.

6 Best Exercises You Must Do For Best Results

Build Muscle No Responses »

Jan 022010

Many beginner bodybuilders engage in bodybuilding exercises meant to isolate the muscles. It’s no wonder why they take this path, isolation exercises appear to be the most beneficial, however, compound exercises are simply the best for building larger and more prominent muscles. These compound exercises are not for beginners, they require perfect technique and plenty of rest in between workouts to ensure muscle growth. You want to achieve a balance between exercise and recovery as well as diet, three interdependent components of a good bodybuilding program.

Squats

Known as the king of bodybuilding exercises, squats primarily emphasize the glutes and quadriceps while secondarily benefiting the calves, hamstrings and lower back, thus, building up on strength. A beauty of doing squats is that you can pack on many pounds of soldid muscle at a much faster rate than any other workout. Always perform the squat with an experienced spotter or inside the power cage to ensure your safety.

Leg Presses

By Far, The best bodybuilding exercises to build lean muscle in your legs are leg presses. Leg presses can be used to determine your overall leg strength including your knee joint and ankle extensions. To ensure you do leg presses properly you must use the appropriate machine that allows you to push the weight away from your body, either in a sitting or laying down platform.

Deadlifts

If you want to build up you overall body mass, the deadlift is the most beneficial workout you can do. A word of caution though, this workout must be performed with correct technique as you can damage you back and even your spine. The deadlift is a relatively simple exercise, grasp a weighted barbell from the ground starting from a bent over position and then simply lifting the barbell straight up to a standing position, whilst keeping the back straight the entire time.

Bench Press

The Benchpress is by far the best exercise you could possibly do for your chest It is one of the most effective bodybuilding exercises for the chest as well as the shoulders – deltoids and pectorals – and the triceps. Basically, you lower a loaded barbell to your chest and push it back up.

Dips

The dip is also one of the best compound bodybuilding exercises because it develops many muscles in your chest area as well as in the shoulders and arms in one single repetition. Due to the simplicity of this exercise no fancy machines are required. If you wish to target mainly the triceps, try to keep you body as straight as possible throughout the movement.

Chin Ups

To get the most out of chin ups it’s best to use a wide grip. You will discover that these are excellent exercises for a wide back with excellent muscle definition. Your lats, biceps and forearms will also benefit.

Keep in mind that the above mentioned bodybuilding exercises are only effective if and when you exert sufficient effort to perform them. Remember for maximum results ensure you have adequate rest between working out the same muscle groups again.