Tag Archives: plyometric

Medicine Ball Pop Up

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Medicine Ball Pop Up is a challenging plyometric pushup variation that’s going to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, core, balance, and coordination. This exercise is going to take some practice so take your time and start with a modified from-the-knees version if needed. You will need a medicine ball for this move but if you don’t have one you can also use a soccer or volleyball instead.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Medicine Ball Pop Up.

  • start by getting in to a full plank position with your hands on the medicine ball and the ball directly underneath your chest
  • make sure your feet are wider than your shoulders to provide stability throughout the movement
  • squeeze your abs and your glutes to keep your body nice and straight and to prevent your hips from dropping
  • in one move, quickly remove your hands from the ball and out to the side so that you’re now in a pushup position
  • lower your body down towards the ball until your chest is almost touching
  • now pushup as hard and as fast as you can while bringing your hands back on top of the medicine ball
  • pause for a moment to get your balance and then repeat the move
  • make sure your abs and glutes are engaged throughout
  • perform this move from your knees if you need to start with an easier version

So there you have the Medicine Ball Pop Up. Give it a shot and let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you soon with another new exercise!

Donkey Kick

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Donkey Kick is a great plyometric exercise that is going to target your glutes primarily but will also work your shoulders and core muscles. The jump adds a cardiovascular component to the exercise which will strengthen your cardiovascular system and burn more calories in the process. It’s a fairly simple move but it does take some coordination and you have to be quick with the kick in order to land back on your feet.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Donkey Kick.

  • get in to a full plank position with your feet together
  • engage your abs and glutes and jump both feet straight up in the air
  • as soon as you jump, bend both legs and try to kick your butt with both feet before falling back down to the floor
  • after the kick, extend both legs back out and land from the jump in to the starting position
  • repeat the move for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Donkey Kick. It’s a bit of a funny looking exercise but it will give you great glutes and get you sweating and burning calories!

Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Burpee Jump Lunge

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Burpee Jump Lunge is a very challenging full body exercise that is going to target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, core, shoulders, and arms. The plyometric component is also going to work on your balance, coordination, your cardiovascular system and the fast-twitch muscle fibers that are responsible for big explosive movements. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Burpee Jump Lunge.

  • crouch down and place your hands on the floor as if you were going to do a pushup
  • jump your feet back until you are fully extended in a full plank position
  • from this full plank position, jump your feet back up and underneath you then jump straight up and bring your left leg forward and your right leg back so that you land from the jump in a lunge position
  • make sure both legs are at 90 degree angles at the bottom of the lunge and your weight is placed on your front heel
  • from here, jump straight up and switch your legs in the air so that your right leg is forward and your left leg is back
  • land from the jump in to a lunge position again and repeat the upward jump
  • now land from this jump with both feet together and immediately bring your hands down to the floor and repeat the burpee
  • repeat the entire sequence of moves for your desired amount of reps or time
  • always make sure to keep your abs engaged throughout the movement

So there you have the Burpee Jump Lunge. This is a great exercise to add in to a HIIT session or a full body routine. It won’t be easy but you will be burning a ton of calories while building muscular and cardiovascular strength and endurance. Get ready to sweat!

Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

In and Out Jump Squat

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Hello! It’s time again for a new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have another great plyometric lower body exercise for you to try called the In and Out Jump Squat.

The In and Out Jump Squat is going to work all the muscles of your lower body including glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. The jump component will also work your fast-twitch muscle fibers and give you a great cardiovascular workout which means a higher heart rate and more calories burned. Another benefit of this exercise is that the positioning of your feet during the squat will emphasize different muscles of your legs. When your feet are together, the focus will be put on your outer thighs and when your feet are wide, the focus will be on your inner thighs. So this is a great exercise to target different areas of the legs.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the In and Out Jump Squat.

  • start by standing tall with your feet together
  • squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor while keeping your weight on your heels
  • maintain a straight back and keep your knees in line over your toes (don’t let your knees push forward past your toes)
  • from this squat position jump up as high as you can and when you are in the air, separate your feet and land from the jump in a wide stance
  • immediately go back down in to a squat with the wide stance
  • jump up as high as you can again and this time when you are in the air, bring your feet back together and land in the close stance and perform your squat
  • keep alternating between the close and wide stance jump squats for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the In and Out Jump Squat. This is a tough one but you will be building strength and endurance as well as burning a ton of calories!

Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Compass Jump Squat

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Hello! It’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a great plyometric exercise for you to try called the Compass Jump Squat.

The Compass Jump Squat is going to fire up all the muscles of your lower body including glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. The jump component will also work your fast-twitch muscle fibers and give you a great cardiovascular workout which means a higher heart rate and more calories burned.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Compass Jump Squat.

  • start by standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed slightly outward
  • squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor while keeping your weight on your heels
  • maintain a straight back and keep your knees in line over your toes (don’t let your knees push forward past your toes)
  • from this squat position jump up as high as you can and turn your body 90 degrees clockwise
  • land from the jump and immediately go back down in to a squat
  • jump and turn another 90 degrees clockwise and repeat the movement until you have come all the way around
  • now repeat the 90 degree jump squats but this time go counterclockwise
  • keep squatting and jumping until you have reached your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Compass Jump Squat. You’ll be sweating, you’ll be huffing and puffing, but you’ll be working all those major leg muscles and burning lots of calories in the process!

Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!