The Squat Jump Exercise

Video Transcript

"The next exercise I'm going to demonstrate is called the pliometric squat jump. This exercise is only for advanced exercisers. For it is hard on the joints, particularly the knees and the lower back. However, if your healthy, have no knee problems and you have a good pair of shoes, this exercise is great for developing power and strength. And I think it would be a great addition to any runners or athlete's program or regimen. The set up for the squat jump is similar to the squat, in that you are going to start with your feet about hip width apart. Knees are slightly bent and Abs are tight. From here I want you to use your strength and power to; you're going to sit as you would in the squat, thinking about sitting back in that chair keeping your Abs tight. From here, you're going to take your arms up and then sit back in the chair, in that squat position. Ok. Now here is what a set of about five of squat jumps look like. We have one, two, three, four and five. I'm going to show you a couple of different variations of the squat jump. You can do them like I did, with the normal stance; which is about hip width apart. Feet are closer in. Or you can do these with feet farther apart. Toes pointed out a little bit. So it?s more of a plie squat. Now once again, always keep the knees in the direction of the toes. And remember that this is an advanced exercise. And I recommend if you'd like to try it, start out only on the lower end of your rep range; five to ten repetitions. Okay because it is an advanced exercise. But it?s a great exercise that will develop speed and power in your leg muscles."