Skater Jumps

Also known as: Skater Hops, Speed Skaters, Lateral Skater Bounds

PlyometricExplosiveCardioBalanceFunctional

Track Skater Jumps in SmartWorkout and watch your numbers go up

Log sets, weights and progress for free, with no workout limits.

Body Part: Glutes

Description

A bodyweight plyometric exercise in which you bound sideways from one leg to the other, copying a speed skater's stride. You land on the outside leg with the hips back while the free leg swings behind it. It works the glutes, quads and calves and builds balance and control on one leg.

How to Perform

Stand on your right leg with the knee bent and the hips back, the left leg bent behind it with the foot off the floor. Keep your chest up and core braced.
Push off hard through your right leg and jump sideways to the left.
Land softly on the ball of your left foot and let the heel settle, with the knee bent over the toes and the hips pushed back.
Let your right leg swing behind your left leg without touching the floor, and swing your right arm across your body toward the left knee.
Absorb the landing, then push off your left foot right away and jump to the right, landing on your right leg in the same position.
Keep alternating sides in a steady rhythm for the planned number of reps.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Keep a slight forward lean from the hips with a flat back, like a speed skater.
Push off through the whole foot and let your hips lead the jump sideways.
Keep your eyes forward and your shoulders level to stay balanced on one leg.
While learning, hold each landing for a second or two before jumping back.
Increase the jump distance first and the speed later, as long as every landing stays stable.
Use a flat, non-slip surface so your push-off foot does not slide out.

Common Mistakes

Letting the landing knee cave inward instead of tracking over the toes
Jumping upward instead of sideways, so each jump covers little distance
Landing stiff-legged or on the heel, which sends the impact into the knee
Putting the free foot down on every landing instead of keeping your weight on the landing leg
Letting the hip on the free-leg side drop instead of keeping the pelvis level
Twisting the torso too far while swinging the arms