The lunge jump is a special functional exercise from the arsenal of athletics. For the runner, it develops speed, explosive strength and coordination of movements. The exercise has been borrowed by fitness athletes for several reasons. To start, jumping out allows you to load your legs without special equipment. Then – to work out the muscles without greatly increasing them in volume. Finally, it is the perfect exercise to burn a lot of extra calories and lose weight.
The benefits of exercise
This exercise is designed to develop what is called explosive strength or power. The ability of a person to jump high up is one of the characteristics of strength. Its development allows you to be better in running, crossfit, weightlifting. In part, such exercises help powerlifters to overcome dead spots when working with a projectile. And they also allow you to quickly get rid of technical flaws associated with an imbalance in the development of muscles and skeleton.
Benefits:
- do not require special equipment;
- strengthen the muscles of the feet, and not only the calf, soleus, and thigh muscles;
- help with a sense of balance;
- improve joint mobility;
- warm up the ligaments;
- strengthen bones;
- prepare to work with a barbell and dumbbells;
- help burn a lot of extra calories
- improve proprioception – a sense of the body in space
A separate exercise is barefoot jumping. It helps to strengthen the foot, prevent hallux valgus, compensate for the negative effects of high-heeled shoes, and improve coordination. This exercise format is good for those who do not have ankle problems, injuries, sprains.
What muscles work
Exercise aimed at developing the muscles of the lower body and the so-called core. In fitness complexes, it appears as movement on the legs and partly on the press.
Working muscles:
- hamstrings, quads;
- the whole array of gluteal;
- calf and soleus;
- foot muscles
As a stabilizer, the press is involved in the work, namely, the rectus and transverse abdominal muscles.
Execution technique
There are two types of exercise. The first is jumping out of a static lunge, that is, a variation of the exercise in which the athlete jumps without changing legs. The analogue is the static split squat without jumping. The second option is “scissors”, or a split jump with a change of legs. It is more popular in difficult coordination sports, as well as among those seeking to develop plyometric, explosive strength.
Exercise technique without changing legs:
- Get into the starting position for a split squat;
- Straighten your back, tighten your stomach, step back with one leg a full step;
- Leave the second support in the usual squatting position, with the toe slightly set aside;
- Lower into a lunge to the parallel of the working leg with the floor;
- Jump their squats up, go down, and repeat from the beginning.
The technique with a change of legs differs in that when performing an exercise in this style, it is necessary to push off sharply from the floor, and change the supporting and working legs in the air. In both cases, the landing should be smooth, soft, without a sharp impact on the ground.
