Jump Squats
Leg plyometrics are an effective way to develop explosive power within the muscles of the lower extremity and jumping squats are a great exercise to accomplish this. It is very important that upon landing, the hips are driven back as the knees are bent. Doing so will minimize the risk of injury to the knee joint by preventing the knees from drifting beyond the toes. This exercise, as with all other plyometric exercises, should be performed quickly and in an explosive fashion. The time spent with the feet making ground contact should be minimized as much as possible.
Video
A Video Demonstrating How To Perform Jumping Squats Will Be Added Shortly
Execution
- From a deep squat position, extend the knees and jump up in an explosive motion. Pump the arms up towards the ceiling as you are in the air.
- Upon impact, drive the hips back and bend the knees to soften the impact and move back into a deep squat position.
- Immediately jump back up into the air. There should be very little transition time between ground impact and the jumping action.
- Repeat until desired number of repetitions are completed.
Variations
Resistance can be added by placing a barbell across the back of the shoulders. This will increase the difficulty of the movement. However, it should be noted that the weight of the barbell should be extremely light in comparison to the weights you typically use to perform squats.
Holding a medicine ball, either at chest level or between the legs is another method that can be used to increase the resistance, thus, the difficulty of the exercise.
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