Get Explosive with Your Workouts
Celebrating the 4th of July always involves fireworks, explosions, and fun. Your workout can be the same way! Adding in some power and speed exercises is a good way to up your workout in a short period of time (bonus!).
What do we mean by explosive exercises? A movement that involves both speed and power at the same time. Example: a jump squat is explosive compared to a regular squat.
Now, these moves are pretty intense on the body metabolically, so start with the lowest level option before moving up. Trust me, overdo it and you’ll pay for it the next day!
Starting out you may want to limit your explosive workouts to once per week, as they incur a lot of wear and tear on the body. How often you do these types of movements also depends on your goals:
- General Fitness: pepper these movements into your current circuit training, 1-3 moves per workout total
- Strength Building: once a week should incorporate some sort of power/speed work, but you’ll probably need a recovery day afterwards
- Endurance Training: once a week to keep your body guessing and help you monster those hills!
- Sport Training: if your sport involves speed or plyometrics (jumping) you need this work a lot! Best to seek out a professional trainer to help you integrate this appropriately
Within this list are levels of exercises from beginner to advanced. The list starts with easier and progresses in difficulty, so use it appropriately!
Mountain Climbers
This is a great starting plyometric exercise that you can easily progress. Start with this video of the basic version. Once that’s easy try putting your feet on sliders, in TRX straps, or put your hands on rings or an exercise ball.
Jumping Rope
Throw back to the school yard days! Getting back into the rhythm can be work enough, try doing single-leg, alternating, and double unders!
Squat Jumps
Step up your squat routine with this explosive addition. Your lungs will burn during, and your legs will beg for mercy the next day!
Jumping Lunges
The key is to put a mat/pillow on the ground and aim to touch it with your back knee every time you jump. That way you know you’re getting low enough without banging your knee cap on the ground!
Clapping Push Ups
These are nothing to sneeze at! Nothing will motivate you more than a possible face plant….
Start off with just getting your hands off the ground before progressing to the clap. We’ll let the guys over at bodybuilding.com show you how it’s done.
Stair or Hill Sprints
There are LOTS of hills and stairs in Seattle, put them to good use! Sprint up, walk down is a good start. If it’s a BIG hill or stair case, sprint part then walk part. This kind of HITT training mentality is the bee’s knees for your health and fitness!
Give your workout a boost with these strong, speed and power building exercises. Doing 30 seconds of any one of these will get you a good sweat, fast!
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