Primary muscles: Calves
Secondary muscles: Legs, hips
Equipment: No equipment
ANKLE HOPS INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand straight with your hands by your sides and with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Bounce off the floor in a quick, repetitive move.
3. Repeat the movement until the set is complete.
PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN
Keep your knees soft, breathe slowly and bounce off the floor as fast as you can. Maintain your back straight, face forward and keep a steady pace to get your heart rate up.
EXERCISE BENEFITS
The ankle hops exercise is a great alternative to the jump rope exercise. It strengthens your heart and your muscles and increases aerobic fitness. If you increase the speed of your jumps and start adding frontal and sagittal movements, you’ll also see a boost in your agility, coordination, and speed.
DEMONSTRATION
SETS AND REPS
Add the ankle hops exercise to your warm up routine and repeat the exercise for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can also bounce from side to side, front to back or in a square. When you add these variations you’re increasing the challenge and getting, not only an amazing cardio boost but also a great lower body workout.
CALORIES BURNED
To calculate the number of calories burned doing ankle hops, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:
RELATED WARM UP EXERCISES
Try these other warm up exercises to increase your heart rate and prepare your body for a workout:
Squat side kick
Lunge twist
March in place
High kicks
Leave a Reply