MOTW: Explosive Star Jumps

The explosive star jump is a super effective exercise for toning your legs and buttocks. It is also a very efficient move, salve since not only do star jumps work all your major leg muscles, there including the hamstrings, salve quadriceps, abductors, adductors, and calves, but they also get your heart rate up to really burn off fat! This is a great exercise for athletes interested in strengthening their muscles to increase their vertical jumps and improve their explosive power.

Technique:

1) Stand on a flat surface with knees slightly bent and feet shoulder-width apart. Your arms should be slightly bent at your sides.

2) To initiate the move, squat down halfway and explosively jump vertically as high as you can while in midair extending your arms and legs fully out to your sides to form a star shape with your body.

3) As you begin to descend from the jump, bring your arms and legs inward near your body and land softly on the ground with your knees bent.

4) Squat and push off vertically again to perform another star jump. Pull your limbs inward as you descend to prepare yourself for successive jumps in rapid succession.

Do 3 sets of 12, or perform them as a Tabata by doing as many reps as you can in 20 seconds with a 10 second rest in between (for 4 minutes).