With dedication and commitment, the following list of exercises and techniques will help you to increase your vertical jump:

1) The Warm Up -5 to 10 mins
Like most sports, one of the most important elements to your jump higher training is your warm up. You must warm up and stretch your muscles in preparation for your workout.

Muscles can only achieve maximum performance when all of their blood vessels are dilated, stimulating sufficient blood flow. At rest, muscles only utilize 15-20 % of blood flow – this can increase to 70%, or more, after only 10 minutes of activity.   Remember to stretch not only your specific muscles for jump higher workout, but all muscle groups to some extent as this will help to prevent any damage or tearing.

Vary your warm up routine to include static stretching at the start & dynamic stretching to finish.  Use stretching exercises such as side lunges, side & upwards stretches, calf stretches, spine curve, lying leg cross over, standing quads, hamstrings etc.

2) Bends – 8 – 10 reps +

From a standing position, keeping your back straight, slowly bend your knees to crouch down & then slowly stand back up again. Initally aim to do 8-10 repetitions, increasing to 15 + overtime.

3) Forward Lunges 10+ reps

Keep your back straight, move one foot forward,  bending your knee to achieve (if possible) a 90 degree angle. Repeat this exercise with both legs. A minimum of 10 repetitions for each leg, increasing the number of reps as your muscles strengthen.

4) Toe Raises (with & without weights) 30+ reps

Stand up straight. Raise your body weight upwards onto your toes, taking care to keep your posture. Hold for a few seconds and then slowly lower back down.  Repeat 30 times.

Repeat this exercise with your hands by your sides, each holding an even weight (if you don’t have dumb bells, improvise by using a tin of food in each, or a even  bottle of wine !).  Increase the volume of weight as you progress.

5) Squats 8-10 reps+

Shoulder width stance (or just slightly wider), with feet / toes pointing forward. Push your hips back & down (to ensure that your knees do not end up going over your toes).  Keep your weight evenly distributed between the ball & heel of your foot.  If necessary hold your hands together out in front of you to help with your balance.
(Note that the big difference between the bends & the squat is the position of your back. In the squat, you back will typically move from vertical to a 45 degree angle)

6) Elevated Split Squat Jumps 10 + reps (each leg)

This very short video quickly demonstrates how to do these:

Some myths originated in our childhood, others were started by magazines and TV programs decades ago.

So here are the top 13 myths about your diet.

1. There is little good in frozen or canned fruit and vegetables. It is astonishing, but frozen and canned fruit and vegetables can sometimes turn out to be better for you than the fresh ones since they are frozen or canned right off the field. As we all know, an immediate freezing is one of the best ways to preserve vitamins. And fresh produce has to travel a long way before it makes it to the store. In order for the vitamins to survive till the moment they get into your body we should unfreeze the produce as soon as we possibly can and cook it in water only. Canned corn, apricots and gooseberries contain no less vitamin C than their freshest version. The trick is to pick out not the ones that are canned in marinade or syrup, but rather the ones that are canned in water or their own juice without any added sugar or artificial coloring agents.

2. Drinking wine every day is a sure way to become an alcoholic! As a matter of fact, quality wine can protect your body from bacteria, stimulate the digestive gland’s function and the production of hydrochloric acid which balances the acidity level. For example, the popular tradition to follow oysters with wine has emerged because of the fact that this delicacy is often contaminated with
colibacillus, and there is no other method to neutralize these bacteria that would be more pleasurable. Also when you are traveling to tropical countries, adding a little bit of wine to your drinking water will help you prevent problems with your stomach or intestines. Wines are classified according to their effects: white dry wines are recommended if you have atherosclerosis, red table wines are great at toning you up, and muscat wines act like sedatives. Hence, we should make it a rule to drink half a glass of wine at dinner (you can dilute it with water) in order to combine business with pleasure.

3. Eating right before going to bed is unhealthy. The work day of a modern person has a tendency to end later in the evening when seemingly dinner is strongly not recommended. However, the dietitians have recently discovered something that is good news for those of us who like to have late dinners. There has been a survey done involving thousands of men and women: half of them were eating as late at night as they wanted to, and the other half was not allowed to eat anything after 6pm. It turned out that after two years of this experiment the participants of the first group did not gain an ounce of extra weight. In other words, as the result of this research it has been proven that the time of your meals does not have any effect on the process of losing weight!

Thereby, night raids on the fridge are no longer forbidden, although there is still one condition: instead of reaching for doughnuts and fried chicken in the middle of the night, go for low-calorie yogurts, fruit and vegetables. It is even permissible to drink white wine. In other words, the quality and quantity of the food you choose for your dinner is more important than whether you eat it at 6pm or at midnight. Furthermore, the doctors assert that we should eat before going to sleep since the acid required to digest food is produced by our body at night and it should not irritate the mucous membrane of our stomach. The same doctors strongly advise to give preference to dairy products right before sleep.

4. It is good to chew gum after you eat. In spite of the mass advertising, the dentists are not too excited about gum. Although it does indeed refresh your breath, it is hardly a means of hygiene of the oral cavity. Scientific data about positive effects of gum on the teeth’s condition is true only for a limited range of gum containing fluoride. Gum containing sugar is equal to candy when it comes to the calorific value and destructive impact on enamel. As far as the rest of types of gum, you should know how to chew gum correctly, when and how long in order to avoid damaging the periodontium tissues. It is recommended to chew gum no more than 3 times a day for no longer than 3 minutes. Note that chewing gum for a long time causes an excess amount of gastric juice and since there is no food that actually goes into the stomach it can harm its mucous membrane.

5. Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol. Our grandfathers and grandmothers, who used to be big fans of eggs when they were young, restrict themselves from having this dish for breakfast as they get older fearing that their cholesterol level will increase. Similar threats have been all over newspapers and magazines devoted to health topics in the last decade. However, scientists today say that it’s not the eggs that are to blame but the saturated fat that is practically lacking from them. Therefore one egg a day is permissible to anyone, especially since eggs are a source of protein and if meat and fish are not very frequent in your daily diet then you should definitely give eggs more importance. Besides an egg has a very low amount of calories – on average about 60 kcal. It also has a ton of nutrients: vitamins C, B, D, and E, iron, phosphorus, iodine, and even zinc. And if you are so concerned about the cholesterol level in your blood, then you can control its balance independently by consuming a large amount of foods rich in starch such as rice, pasta, fruit and vegetables.

6. Pasta is the main enemy of a thin waist. Over the last several decades this myth has been depriving the ladies who were trying to stay slim like a pencil of one of the biggest delicacies – pasta. They wouldn’t even believe the graceful Sophia Loren who has been urging the ladies to go ahead and fearlessly devour the Italian delicacy. Today dietitians all over the world repeat what the actress has been saying and recommend including whole wheat pasta into our daily diets. Pasta does a great job filling you up and even a pretty big portion of it has a low amount of calories. On top of that 100 grams of good quality pasta contains 13 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat. And of course there is a variety of nutrients in this overseas delicacy: B vitamins, which lower the fatigue, vitamin E, cellulose, which contributes to getting rid of toxins.

7. The fat contained in nuts leads to excess weight. Most of us are convinced that fat foods are of no benefit. Unfortunately, quite often we can find nuts, including almonds, on the black list. However dietitians assure us that almonds have more benefits than harmful effects. If you regularly consume unsalted nuts then by nourishing our bodies with vitamin E we can slow down the body’s aging. Besides almonds, similar to olive oil, contain monounsaturated fat as well as magnesium, which makes arteries healthy, and potassium, which lowers the blood pressure. American scientists have discovered that eating almonds decreases the risk of heart diseases. As far as the main reason of doubts – the stoutness almonds supposedly cause, strangely enough you can actually lose weight if you substitute other fat foods in your daily diet with almonds and maintain a low-calorie fruit or vegetable diet overall.

8. Sweeteners are way less harmful than sugar. The reality actually turned out to be different. If used for a long time some components of sweeteners have a negative effect on our health:
acesulfame provokes a crisis if you suffer from heart failure, and cyclamate – if you have any kidney problems. Besides almost all artificial sweeteners have a bile-expelling effect and therefore people who suffer from illnesses of biliary routes, for example cholecystitis, can experience a worsening of their condition. As far as natural sugar replacements (fructose, xylose, sorbitol) when it comes to their calorie content they are equal to the original. Fructose is considered the most innocent, since it has the least negative side effects compared to the rest of sweeteners.

9. Snacking right before a big meal is bad. Since early childhood we remember as our mom would scold at us for sneaking a bite shortly before an actual meal. However if it’s still a long time before dinner but you are already starving, you can allow yourself a couple of snacks that you do not have to cook, all you need are the proper products on hand. The first ideal method to take an edge off your hunger is to have some grapes or a couple slices of cheese. They contain calcium and useful acids. The second sure choice is ham with carrots and celery. You can stock up on bags of raisins or other dried fruit that should be followed by a glass of orange juice, which contains a lot of vitamin C that will help your body digest the iron that grape is so rich in.

10. Chocolate can only cause trouble. Those of us who love chocolate do not have it easy with all the stories about how unbelievably fast you gain weight after even one chocolate bar and how much acne you get on your face after just a couple of candies. In reality chocolate is very beneficial. First of all, cocoa beans contain a special substance that improves the function of heart and vessels. Thanks to this substance your blood pressure goes down, the blood’s coagulation improves, and any inflammation processes stop. Secondly, chocolate contains an anti-infective agent that suppresses the development of bacteria that cause dental cavities. Thirdly, the amino acid contained by chocolate contributes to serotonin’s production, which is also known as the hormone of happiness. The only thing that all the specialists emphasize is that we should give preference exclusively to dark bitter chocolate, which contains minimum 75% of cocoa.

11. Ice cream only leads to sore throat, extra pounds and bad teeth. Ice cream has always been taboo because of its consequences such as toothache, sore throat and so on. However, it is ice cream that is referred to by the doctors as the sweet psychologist. Ice cream takes us back to the serene childhood. And the natural tranquilizer called tryptophan found in cream calms down the nervous system. We shouldn’t be scared of a toothache: the unpleasant sensations, which are caused by eating ice cream, are just a reaction to its low temperature. And even the sore throat is only a myth from childhood – adults are actually advised to eat ice cream as a preventative means against sore throats.

12. Eating raw food is a great way to lose excess weight and improve your health. Eating raw food does have a lot of benefits: there are more vitamins that the body receives, our body cleanses itself faster, and the weight goes down. However, the flip side of eating raw foods is not so bright. In order to become a raw food eater you need to be absolutely healthy – if you have any deviations from perfect health such as allergies or colitis, eating raw food is strictly prohibited. The cellulose of raw fruit and vegetables negatively affects the mucous coat of esophagus (an organ, through which food passes to the stomach) and the acids they contain destroy the enamel of the teeth.

And although a certain portion of nutrients dies in the process of cooking, our body digests the vitamins that remain after thermal processing ten times better, for example carotene from carrots. Such vegetables as eggplants and beans contain poisonous elements, which become harmless only after being processed in high temperatures. Dietitians recommend practicing eating raw foods as a preventative technique – on average it should last no more than 1-2 weeks.

13. Beer leads to gaining weight. Choosing between wine and beer we often give preference to the first due to one simple reason – fear of beer belly. However, as strange as it is, beer is not that high in calories: 40-50 kcal for 100 ml is not the highest ratio out there (for example, soda pops have the same calories ratio). Plus good quality beer practically does not have any sugar or fructose, which negatively affect our body compared to soda pops that are abundant in it. Beer, if consumed in moderation, can actually be a beneficial product. If you limit yourself to one glass of beer a day, you can stimulate the gastrointestinal tract’s function (the system by which ingested food is acted upon by physical and chemical means to provide the body with nutrients it can absorb and to excrete waste products), slow down the body’s aging and lower the risk of cardio-vascular illnesses. And by the way, doctors in Middle Ages used to cure toothache with beer, you just had to rinse your mouth with a slightly heated up liquid.

Now that your myths about food have been destroyed by new science perhaps you can finally get the perfect diet, one that is unclouded by myths of the “superstars” or old untested ideas, but more importantly one that will help you get that sexy body that you have been working for so hard.

Article Source: Magnetictherapyfacts.org
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What you need to know about Weight Training for a strong lean body that both looks good and is injury resistant

by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Working as a personal trainer & fitness professional, there is one type of question I get all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:

“What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice – abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?”

It doesn’t matter which muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to ‘isolate’ it. My first response to this question is always – “Why in the world would you want to isolate it?”

The first thing I try to teach my clients is that the body does not work well in muscle isolation. Rather, it works better in movements along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body assist other portions of the body in completing a complex movement. In fact, there really is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There is almost always a nearby muscle group that will assist in some way with whatever movement you are doing. However, this article compares attempting to ‘isolate’ body parts via single-joint exercises to the much more effective strategy of performing multi-joint complex movements.

When you attempt to ‘isolate’ muscles by performing single-joint exercises, you are actually creating a body that is non-functional and will be more prone to injury. Essentially, you are creating a body that is a compilation of body parts, instead of a powerful, functional unit that works together.

Now if you really want to end up hobbling around in a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excess body fat, then by all means, continue trying to ‘isolate’ body parts. On the other hand, if you would rather have a lean, muscular, injury-free, functional body that works as a complete powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics or even everyday tasks), then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation.

Believe me, focusing on how well your body functions will give you the side effect of a body that looks even better than it would have if you focused on muscle isolation. For example, take a look at the physiques of any NFL running backs, wide receivers, or even world class sprinters. Trust me when I say that these guys pretty much NEVER train for muscle isolation (their strength coaches wouldn’t be crazy enough to let them), yet they are absolutely ripped to shreds! Just look at guys like Maurice Green or Terrell Owens and tell me who wouldn’t want a physique like those guys.

Another benefit to moving away from the ‘muscle isolation’ mindset in weight training to a more ‘complex movement’ mindset is that you will find it much easier to lose body fat. The reason is that by focusing more on multi-joint complex movements as opposed to single-joint muscle isolation lifts, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of more fat burning and muscle building hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone.

Let’s look at an example. The machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mainly the quadriceps, can potentially cause knee joint instability in the long run, and doesn’t even burn that many calories. On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all multi-joint complex movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body (including the quadriceps) as a functional unit, create more stable and strong joints in the long run (when done properly), and also burn massive quantities of calories compared to the single-joint exercises.

Now although I do feel that multi-joint exercises should comprise the majority of your weight training workouts, I also think that there can be some benefits with just minor inclusions of single-joint exercises for variety, etc.  I choose to build my training programs with about 90-95% multi-joint exercises and about 5-10% single-joint exercises at most.

If you’re interested in discovering more ways to create a body that looks as good as it functions, pick up a copy of Mike’s innovative book:The Truth About Six Pack Abs

In today’s world, we’re seeing the internet, magazines, books, and tv shows/commercials flooded with tons of varied fitness and health advice. So how do you know who to actually trust and who may be giving you fitness misinformation and leading you down the wrong path?

Well, first of all, there ARE some sleezebags out there that all they want to do is sell you some crappy gimmick and make off with their quick buck.

In fact, more and more marketers with no fitness background or experience are getting involved in selling fitness and health products these days. Unfortunately, many of these pure marketers don’t know the first thing about fitness and are just putting out total junk just to make sales (hmm, can anybody say hoodia or the parasite scare-tactic scam artists).

On the other hand, the good thing is that most fitness and health professionals are well intentioned and do actually want to help you legitimately. Although being well-intentioned, many times these professionals have been misinformed over the years and led to believe certain health and fitness myths (that they think are factual) that are not always accurate.

I think the subject heading with the term “clueless” is a little harsh and I want to clearly state that even if a fitness professional or trainer is misinformed on a couple of topics here or there, it’s still likely that 90% or more of their information is actually very helpful.

As a matter of fact, you’ll almost never find 2 fitness professionals or trainers that completely agree with one another. However, usually most fitness pros will agree on about 80 or 90% of topics.  There are probably even a couple topics that I may be misinformed about (after all, nobody is perfect), but I’ll always do my best to provide you with the most up-to-date and legitimate information I can find.

With that said, whenever I’m reading fitness publications, there are 4 key things I look for to see if the author or fitness “expert” really understands true nutrition and training principles. This can help you in your readings and dealings with trainers to decipher good info from bad info.

Here are 4 of the main aspects I look for to determine is a fitness pro or trainer is “in the know” or not:
1. If the resistance training portions of their workout routines are mostly comprised of machines and single-joint exercises such as leg extensions, leg curls, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, pec decks, leg press machines, shoulder raises, etc… then they probably have some misconceptions about training and you should beware.

I’ll admit that there’s a time and a place for just about any type of exercise (including the occasional use of machines and single joint exercises), but if these are what makes up the majority of their routines, then you should reconsider taking advice from them.

The fitness pros and trainers “in the know” will give you routines that are comprised of a balanced approach using free weight multi-joint exercises (and bodyweight exercises) for the majority of the exercises with only very limited machine or single-joint exercise use.

2. The 2nd thing I look for in a knowledgeable or mislead fitness trainer is whether they think that cardio is the “only way” to lose body fat. For anybody that understands human physiology, the assertion that cardio is the only way to lose body fat is ludicrous.

After all, you can lose body fat without any exercise at all for that matter if you have a caloric deficit (although I don’t recommend that route, because a non-exerciser is still flabby and unhealthy even with low body fat %).

In addition, you can lose plenty of body fat with resistance-only training routines without any cardio at all… it simply depends on the intensity of your workouts as a whole (whether they contain cardio, resistance training only, or a mixture of both), your resting metabolic rate, and the overall balance of your calorie intake vs calorie expenditure over time.

3. The 3rd thing I look for in a knowledgeable or mislead fitness trainer or health professional is whether they falsely believe that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are bad for us.

I’ve beaten this issue into the ground, but I’ll say it again… If there’s one fact you must understand about nutrition, it’s that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are essential parts of the natural human diet (and have been for thousands of years) and are not unhealthy for us depending on the source of the food (organic, etc).

The most unhealthy foods in our food supply are actually processed foods such as processed refined vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), deep fried foods, refined grains, refined sugars, and other boxed packaged “mutilated” foods.

4. The 4th thing I look for in a knowledgeable or mislead fitness pro or health “expert” is whether they falsely think that artificial sweeteners are healthy. I see so many fitness pros promoting the use of artificial sweeteners just so that they can save on sugar intake. Well, the truth is that even though refined sugar is horrible for us, artificial sweeteners are “franken-foods” that are even worse for us!

One thing I’d like to ask you is that if you found these articles beneficial, please email this link on to your friends, family, and co-workers that you think can benefit from these topics.

Don’t be lazy… be lean.

Article Written By: Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer

Author of #1 Abs Training Book: The Truth About Abs