Sunday, June 6, 2010

Jump the line.

Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role in "Walk the Line," the Johnny Cash epic released in 2006. Though I'm not the biggest Johnny Cash fan, I can acknowledge a great movie when I see one. And I can acknowledge a great song, too. But as she who provides your daily dose of fit, I must counter Cash's tune by suggesting you try jumping the line instead of walking it. And no, not in the cut-to-get-in-front sense. I'm talking about plyometrics. Moves that target multiple muscles in one fat- and calorie-blasting move.

Let me explain: Find a crack, put a rope down or get artistic with a piece of sidewalk chalk. However you create a line, start to one side of it with your legs together and knees softly bent. Keeping your legs together, jump across the line, landing softly on the balls of your feet to protect your knees and ankles.


Jump back to the other side and repeat. Count reps or time it—it's entirely up to you. Essentially, the faster you move, the more you'll burn. And if it gets too easy, you can replace the line with something taller, like a dumbbell or a shoebox. Or jump with one leg instead of two. But like any jumping move, you'll need to maintain proper form to prevent injury. And if you have knee issues, you just might want to skip this lower body blaster.

3 comments:

Aly said...

From a volleyball/plyometric standpoint, this was one of the most important drills I've ever done. The variations are endless. Make a hopscotch on the ground so you can use a "ladder" for in and outs and SO many other useful drills. I LOVE doing these!

Mrs. Anderson said...

are these Jason's legs?

Tara said...

Indeed they are!

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