Once you have your down and you have good control over your body by working on the , now it is time to add in a cardio element to your squat workouts! Adding in small jumps to your squats will increase the difficulty of your workouts ten fold! Because of this you may need to make sure you get a bit more rest in between sets and you may not be able to do as many reps. This is okay because your work level will be so much greater. Jump squats are considered a plyometric exercises. Plyometrics, or "plyos" for short, are a type of exercise designed to produce fast and powerful movements. Plyos will help you develop muscular power and speed which will burn lots of calories in the process making your workouts very effective and efficient.
As with any squat, it is critical you have the proper form and posture when performing this movement. If you have not been following the squat series, please look back for explanation of proper form of a first. When I say jump in your squat jump I am only talking about a little "bunny hop." Start with a small soft jump first and then increase the size of your jumps.
Starting with your feet hip width apart, lower down into your as you go to lift your body, push through your heels and do a light jump. When you go to jump think heel to toe as you lift off the ground. When you lower back down think toe down to heel as you lower back to your squat position. Feel very light on your feet, as your knees act like a spring. You DO NOT want to have a jarring motion as you hit the ground. You want to absorb the impact of the landing by being light on your feet and the weight of your body ends back into your heel again as you go back to your squat.
Work on doing three sets of twelve reps of your squat jumps. As you practice work on less rest between sets and see if you can increase your repetitions. This is a great exercise to add in between other exercises to get your heart rate up and burn those calories.
Example:
Basic body weight squat - 2 sets of 12 reps
Sumo Squat - 2 sets of 12 reps
Squat jump - 2 sets of 12 reps
This will give you a great quad and leg burn. Come on in to ferrum fitness and let us show you how you can make these exercises a part of your workout routine to get all you can from your workouts! Good luck on your journey toward being a healthier, more fit version of yourself. We hope you have enjoyed our squat series.
Jessica Unbewust
co-owner
ferrum fitness
