Monday's Move of the Week

The Move: Box Jumps

Explosive movements (plyometrics) like box jumps increase muscle strength, agility, stamina, balance and bone density. Box jumps are also great for burning calories and getting the heart rate up. Plus, if you are an athlete or running and are trying to improve your speed or vertical jump height, box jumps are a fantastic move to add to your routine.

Muscles Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Calves, Core

How to:

1. Start facing a step or sturdy box or bench.
2. Bend your knees slightly and jump with both feet up to the “box” landing with both feet at once.
3. Find your balance before jumping or stepping back to the starting position.
4. Repeat

Trainer Tips:

• You should always land softly…knees should be slightly bent and never locked
• This is a fairly advanced move, therefore, stepping up and down from the “box” is a great way to work up to this move

Make ‘em Harder: Jumping on to a higher “box” will definitely make this move more challenging. Also, standing back further from the box or jumping onto the box from the side (laterally) will increase the difficulty of the move.

Have fun jumping!