# Bike riding's relation to your vertical jump



## makeitso (Sep 20, 2008)

For the guys who also like to play bball. Does bike riding in general hinder or help your vertical jump (or any plyometric move)? While you do use your leg muscles all the time during a ride it's mainly spinning so relatively low energy for endurance so slow twitch muscles I would think in general. Just curious what the real hand experience says, did it help or hurt your jumping ability?


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

I play a bit of bball. If anything, bicycling helps maintain my vertical jump. 5'11 and only been able to touch the rim. My jump is mostly reliant on 'explosion', as I have minimal leg muscle.

Vertical jump is determined by both leg strength and 'explosion' rates. Cycling can cater to both. I can be incredibly wrong, but interval training may help best when on the bike. The 5'8 Nate Robinson, who can get a near 5-foot vertical jump, noted that having a wide variety of leg workouts contributes to his jumping ability.

I also had the idea of spinning the easy gears, but with ankle weights or something. That's so you're able to work the twitch muscles, but then able to get some resistance training with it.


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## Terrapin (Aug 1, 2002)

If I tried jumping more than a foot, I'd pull every muscle in my legs. So, no, I don't think it helps.


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## lucasjackson13 (May 18, 2009)

I've lost 20lbs from my weekly rides. So yes, now I can jump a little higher/ run a little faster....


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## makeitso (Sep 20, 2008)

While losing weight will generally help as it's less mass you're moving I'm more curious about as a whole does biking help or hurt your body's ability to propel your given weight upward for those other sports that require it.  

According to this website (and it's got a test) I'm just plain average. Would be nice if I could get another few inches...  

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/VerticalJump.html


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## doctor855 (Dec 27, 2008)

i thought you bought Jordan's if you wanted to jump high?


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## tilkerb (Oct 12, 2008)

5'10" and I can dunk a small basketball but my up's are not from B-ball rather men's competitive volleyball in high school. Now I'm 4 years deep in college and still can make bets that I can grab the rim with both hands or dunk a small (really small) basket ball.


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

I don't play b-ball but I just played volleyball for the first time in a couple of years. 
A couple of spikes and blocks and I was being called part kangaroo so I guess it's true.


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## Chopsuey (Jun 4, 2009)

I don't see how it would hurt your jumping. Although I don't know exactly what muscles your using for jumping/bike riding.


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## stevenpock (Nov 23, 2008)

If anything cycling will help your vertical jump. Maybe not as much as some plyos or certain exercises in the weight room, but it definitely won't have an adverse affect.


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