A classic plyometric exercise that is not in vogue at the moment. The hip impact nature of the landing on a narrow base considerably challenges the body and may put a high level of force into the knee and ankle joints. This makes it a useful exercise in aiding those trying to develop multidirectional, unpredictable explosivity.
Other cues
Keep the back ankle stiff to accept load
Control deceleration of the front knee position
Big chest throughout
Keep the landing quiet
Hands can be free and used for momentum
Targeted muscles trained
Gluteus maximus
Quadriceps group
Soleus
Gluteus medius
Adductor group
Key movements trained
Hip extension
Knee extension
Ankle plantarflexion
Knee anti-valus
Considerations
The narrow, long stance position is very unstable and therefore the hip abductors and adductors work hard to sustain a stable split stance position whilst explosively driving your body upwards. The front leg may be subject to a fair amount of compression at the front of the joint so this may limit some people.
The back leg however has the front of the hip held in a long position which disadvantages the hip flexors and may compress the back part of the hip joint. This stretch from the front of the hip may create a pulling force on the front of the pelvis so it’s key to attempt to control that as to control the lower back and pelvic position.
The back leg lands in a position which can load the Achilles tendon a fair amount. If you have history of Achilles tendon injury of a recently tight calf then it may be wise to build into the exercise over a period of time using more static variations such as a split squat.
Comments