This movement can help develop Power, agility and speed.
When children jump, work rarely seems work. There is something playful, almost primitive, in the impulse to launch forward through space, with the body briefly levitating with each stride. And yet, as adults, many of us leave it.
But jumping has entered into the conversation of social networks, partly thanks to a recent episode of the Andrew Huberman Podcast, during which the athletic coach Stuart McMillan promoted the activity as a form of exercise ignored by athletes of all levels.
The enthusiasm is deserved, experts said in Physical training to the Times. The movement, which is a form of pliometric training and basically consists of taking a step and a jump in repetition, can help develop power, agility and speed, and to improve coordination, balance and mobility. Next we explain how to make it work for you.
Can jump really improve your physical shape?
In childhood, jumping is a key part of motor development. It helps you develop the power and coordination necessary to run, and to be aware of where your body is in space, which is known as proprioception, said Mary Winfrey-Kovell, head of exercise sciences at the State University Ball.
As an adult, you can benefit from returning to these foundations, he said. “When you jump, you test almost all the muscles of the body,” he added, especially if you move your arms, and train the brain so that it reacts more quickly.
Jump can also improve balance and stability, since it requires jumping on one leg every time, said Grayson Wickham, a New York physiotherapist and founder of the application of stretching and mobility Movement Vault.
“When you are on one leg, your body wants to collapse,” he said, so he turns to the trunk muscles, buttocks, hips and legs to stay upright, stabilizing and strengthening these muscles in the process.
Like other bouncing exercises, jumping can also help keep the conjunctive, fascia, flexible and strong tissue, which can help you stay mobile and painless as you get older. And you can also strengthen bones, by strategic strength on the musculoskeletal system, which increases density.
And as a form of pliometry – explosive exercise that requires that your muscles produce a lot of strength in brief bursts – jumping can help you become a faster and stronger corridor, said Jessica Movold, racing and strength coach in Austin, Texas, who uses exercise as a training tool for her athletes.
Jump can also help make the hips more flexible, taking them through a greater amplitude of movement than the usual when running, adds Wickham.
Is there a correct way to jump?
Jumping is easily adaptable. “You can increase it or decrease it depending on the intensity you put on it,” said Wickham.
If you have not jump, check how you feel when you move the way you did in your childhood.
If your balance worries, Winfrey-Kovell recommends slowing down the exercise and dividing it into parts: take a step, jump on that foot and then change side. When you feel more stable, increase your rhythm and make a more fluid movement.
For the most experienced athletes, jumping can become a propulsive exercise and fast pace, in which you lift your knees everything you can, while you raise your arm and elbow opposite, and quickly jump on the leg you have standing. Think that your arms pull your legs up, Movold said.
How can you incorporate the jump into your physical exercise routine?
Try it as dynamic warming. At present, experts usually recommend heating muscles with soft movements, instead of static stretching. Jumping relaxed and playful is a great option, Wickham said. Before your next training, try jumping 30 to 60 seconds.
Add jump intervals to your races or walks
To add some variety during a walk or a race, it incorporates some jump intervals. Jump can help counteract some of the potentially harmful effects of making the same movement over and over again, offering your musculoskeletal system some variety, Wickham said.
Repeat, repeat
Many competition athletes perform exercises repetitive to improve its speed, power, reaction time and coordination. But without a coach that guides you, these movements can be intimidating, Movold said. If you are in this field, jumping exercises can be an accessible entry point.
Movold recommended to make a series of three different jump exercises – which track athletes could know how jumps A, jumps B and jumps C— which imply different degrees of knees and leg placement.
Become a training in yourself
You can also turn the jumps into an independent activity. Some very limited investigations suggest that jumping can be easier for the knees than running, while offering comparable (or older) aerobic benefits.
For a 30 -minute training, consider the possibility of incorporating jumps A, B and C mentioned above. For an additional challenge, add one or two rounds of jumps back or sideways, Wickham said.
“It’s more fun than running directly,” he said. “Almost floats.”