BENEFITS OF SQUAT JUMPS

By Adriana Albritton

Another exercise for the legs and your cardiovascular system is Squat Jumps. This plyometric exercise is multifunctional and stimulates numerous muscles.

This exercise engages all your lower body. The gluteal muscle group (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae late), the quadriceps group (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius), the hamstring muscle group (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus), and the flexor group muscle of the lower leg (gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris) are involved in the movement, as well as some core muscles.

ADVANTAGES OF SQUAT JUMPS

• Heart Health: Jump squats’ rapid movement keeps your heart highly engaged, accelerating your heart rate:
• Hypertrophy: As with any other squat movement, squat jumps promote an anabolic environment, helping you to build leg and glute muscle.
• Aesthetics: They help you get a rounded firm booty.
• Fat Loss: Working out several muscles while accelerating your heart rate helps you to burn more calories and lose body fat.
• Strength: These powerful jumps work hard in your lower body, making it stronger.
• Mobility & Agility: The big range of motion involved enhances mobility, keeping you more agile as you age.
• Balance: Jumping forces you to work on your balance, which helps prevent falls and further injury.
• Core: Squat Jumps highly engage your abs, which help stabilize you throughout the movement resulting in a stronger leaner core, and translating into better posture.
• Sports Performance: This great lower body exercise enhances performance, allowing you to jump higher and run faster.
• Circulatory Health: Jump squats facilitate circulation, helping deliver nutrients to tissues and organs, and remove waste.
• Overall Wellbeing: Squat jumps help keep you healthy and prevent disease by working your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, as well as your confidence.

HOW TO PERFORM JUMP SQUATS

• Position your feet at shoulder width with your head up, chest up, and your back straight,
• Squat down as you inhale until your upper thighs are parallel, or lower, to the floor.
• Press down with the ball of your feet and jump straight up in the air as high as possible, using the thighs like springs. Exhale during this portion of the movement.
• Immediately squat down and jump again.
• Repeat.

JUMP SQUATS MISTAKES

• Avoid putting the wrong pressure on your knees. Your knees shouldn’t pass your toes as you squat down.
• Avoid keeping your glutes on a neutral position — Push your booty back.
• It is a jump but not a careless move. Make sure to land in a controlled manner with your feet straight in order to avoid sprained ligaments.

Caution: Do not perform this movement if you have knee or back injuries due to being high impact.

Variations: You can also perform this movement with a barbell resting on your shoulders or while holding dumbbells or a medicine ball.

LEG WORKOUT

You can complete your lower body workout with Bulgarian Split Squats, regular Squats, Single-Leg Deadlifts, and Reverse Lunges.

VIDEO OF SQUAT JUMPS