Tuesday, July 7th 2015

Great job on the Push Press Monday!  We are looking forward to working on technique and strength so we can build upon this solid base we’ve established.

Today we will work on tall box jumps.  It can be just as much a mental game as a physical one when jumping higher than you are accustomed.  A trick can be to stack plates onto a shorter box so you avoid looking right at those sharp edges.  And remember to (like everything we do) keep those knees pushed out (not caved in) and open those hips to get a big high jump.

Why do we practice box jumps?  

– Develop force rapidly (i.e., explosiveness) –

– Absorb force rapidly (i.e., land softly in a stable position) –

– Replicate jumping motions used in sport –

One last thing:  sometimes getting DOWN from the box can cause unnecessary stress on the body.  We encourage you to step down from a high box if possible. Depth Jumps, an exercise where an athlete jumps down and lands from a high surface, place tremendous stress on the body—over five times an athlete’s body weight with just a 30-centimeter drop (that’s less than a foot). Only highly-trained athletes should perform Depth Jumps, and there’s no need to add extra impact to a simple Box Jump.

After each rep, step down.  Or if you are up too high to step down easily, step down onto a slightly smaller box. If you’re jumping to a 24-inch box and are new to it, step down to a 12-inch box and then to the floor.

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