{"id":272423,"date":"2025-11-05T05:53:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T05:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/272423\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T05:53:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T05:53:15","slug":"hop-to-it-the-six-jumps-that-will-build-your-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/272423\/","title":{"rendered":"Hop to it! The six jumps that will build your body"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who dares jump in midlife? Me, although I did take a 45-year break from it. I last loved leaping aged six, skipping in the playground to the chant of: \u201cMother\u2019s in the kitchen doing her stitching!\u201d By ten, though, jumping for joy had been ruined by high jump in PE, which entailed hurling myself desperately over a metal bar set at neck level and running into it. In adulthood my back ached so I stuck to controlled, low-impact workouts: swimming, Pilates. I quit treadmill jogs at 40 and rarely troubled a gym machine.<\/p>\n

Then last year, after a bone mineral density (BMD) scan at Matt Roberts\u2019s health club Evolution, I discovered I was crumbling away on the inside. The BMD of my spine was 0.746g\/cm\u00b2 and my T-score was minus 2.7. If you\u2019re over 40 and your T-score is less than minus 2.5, you have osteoporosis.<\/p>\n

\u2022 I\u2019m 55, eat well, don\u2019t smoke and exercise. Yet I have osteoporosis<\/a><\/p>\n

Highly displeased, I committed to Evolution\u2019s bone strength programme, which as I expected involved kick-arse weight training. But when, weeks in, my personal trainer asked me to jump \u2014 forwards, as far as I could \u2014 I was aghast. What? No. Why? Ugh. It felt alien and wrong. He explained that studies show 10 to 20 jumps daily can increase bone mass and strength. The impact stimulates bone-forming cells to build more bone tissue. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve since discovered that a fit-for-purpose skeleton is not the only benefit of jump training, or plyometrics. These exercises build power, co-ordination and athleticism \u2014 which otherwise decline as we age \u2014 because, broadly, they train the body to produce maximal force in the shortest possible time. So if you want to play tennis or football surprisingly well and without injury into your sixties and beyond, you should be jump training. <\/p>\n

Experts in the sports field, from Henry Abbott (the author of Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance) to Dr Vonda Wright (who wrote Unbreakable: A Woman\u2019s Guide to Ageing with Power), urge us to invest in becoming springier. Wright, an orthopaedic sports surgeon, declares that jump training contributes to muscle growth, enhances recovery, boosts metabolic function, builds tendon and ligament strength, improves joint stability and aids brain health. To build bone, she adds, we need to generate a force of about three to four times our body weight \u2014 and jumping from a low height will do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally incorporate jumping in my life with 20 jumps a day, via jump rope, jumping from an 8in stair and generally stomping around,\u201d Wright says. She notes that a 2019 review of 286 adults (176 women) aged 58 to 79 found that regular plyometric training could improve bone health, muscular strength, body composition, postural stability and physical performance. As Rory Hudson, a PT at Evolution, puts it, \u201cPlyometrics are one of the most effective tools for building long-term athleticism, power and joint health. Every elite sprinter and most professional athletes include them yet most gym-goers leave them out.\u201d <\/p>\n

Learning to produce fast, explosive power (equally useful for nimbly righting yourself when you trip over the dog, or for crushing other alphas in the sports day parents\u2019 race) lies in honing the \u201cstretch-shortening cycle\u201d \u2014 the body\u2019s natural spring system.<\/p>\n

Imagine that a jump has three phases, Hudson says. Loading is where the muscle quickly lengthens, storing elastic energy like a stretched rubber band. Transition is a short pause, holding that stored energy. And unloading is where the muscle shortens, releasing energy and adding extra force to the movement. \u201cThe quicker this cycle happens, the more power you produce,\u201d Hudson says. It\u2019s why an approach jump (you run up to it) is always higher than a static jump. \u201cThe faster the stretch, the greater the force.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s challenging for the brain too. \u201cYou\u2019re training your brain in how to move,\u201d Jon Roberts, a technical director at Evolution, says. \u201cTraining the body through power allows us to keep our balance, co-ordination and muscle-brain messaging as efficient as possible. We\u2019re trying to reverse that natural decline of brain-muscle co-ordination.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this all sounds marvellous, a lot of midlifers fear jumping. A friend\u2019s gynae even warned her off running after 50, saying: \u201cYour pelvic floor will be flapping about like a plastic bag.\u201d No wonder some women believe brisk airborne activity is the enemy of continence and must be avoided. Men, meanwhile, may read that jumping builds bone density and think it\u2019s an issue for menopausal women. But Roberts says: \u201cYour average 45-year-old man now has the bone density of a 65-year-old man a generation ago.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2022 Osteoporosis: why we should all be checking our bones<\/a><\/p>\n

And anyone with dodgy knees, painful joints or osteoporosis may understandably believe that jump training would be insanity. (And do check that it\u2019s safe with your doctor first.) But plyometrics are adaptable, Hudson says. \u201cBeginners might start with something as simple as heel drops\u201d \u2014 stand on tiptoe, lower your heels and repeat \u2014 \u201cor small hops to build tendon health and landing mechanics.\u201d <\/p>\n

Roberts adds: \u201cAs the muscles get stronger we can apply speed \u2014 that\u2019s our force (usually our bodyweight) times velocity (our ability to move our bodyweight as fast as possible) \u2014 and that will increase your power. The more power we build into you, the higher and longer you can jump.\u201d <\/p>\n

None of this comes naturally. I\u2019m more pygmy hippo than impala. But I\u2019m persevering with hops, skips and leaps \u2014 in the gym and at home. Because to prime your body to squat or lift, strengthen your bones and feel agile, fast and powerful, the best thing you can do is jump to it. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

Hopping on the spot \u2014 bone strength<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re nervous, start with hops. \u201cThey introduce a little bit of power and get the body used to a continual speed element,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cThe calves are working to push the foot down to the floor, to take off and land, so there\u2019s a level of co-ordination and balance, and the impact up through the body attunes muscles and helps bone density.\u201d <\/p>\n

Loughborough University\u2019s 2015 Hip Hop study investigated the effects of hopping (50 hops daily for a year, on the same leg) on bone mass in men over 65. On average there was a 7 per cent increase in bone density in parts of their exercised leg. Further study found that hopping increased hip bone mass in postmenopausal women.<\/p>\n

\"Anna<\/p>\n

CIRCE HAMILTON FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Forward hop onto a box \u2014 balance<\/p>\n

A forward hop onto a three-inch box requires the same mechanics. \u201cYou\u2019re pushing your feet into the floor but then you have to land on the box with one leg \u2014 lots of balance, lots of co-ordination \u2014 and you\u2019re compressing the landing,\u201d Roberts says. This means landing slowly with your knees bent so your muscles and joints absorb the impact force in a controlled way. Plus, you load your quads and glutes. \u201cYou\u2019re lengthening the muscles under tension. If you hop again, they\u2019re good to go.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThinking about the next movement is how you move athletically,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou\u2019re creating power, and landing with the intention of storing energy in the body for the next move.\u201d <\/p>\n

Lateral hopping (hopscotch style) \u2014 agility<\/p>\n

This exercise is essentially hopping sideways then diagonally forward on the same leg, about 12 times nonstop, using a \u201cfloor ladder\u201d as a visual aid. \u201cYou keep hopping, and you have to co-ordinate the diagonal movement in and out of the box,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cSo there\u2019s lateral torsion \u2014 in terms of joint stability, stress on the bones and muscles, we\u2019ve got a lateral force on the body.\u201d In older age we want to retain the ability to correct our footing in every direction. \u201cThe ability to react quickly laterally is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

CIRCE HAMILTON FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Springing from a low seated position to a high jump \u2014 power<\/p>\n

Springing from sitting on a low box into a high jump is \u201cpure power\u201d, Roberts says. \u201cCan the brain get those strong muscles to react quickly and put force into the ground to get you to jump as high as you can?\u201d This uses your hamstrings, quads and glutes, and requires hip stability and mobility. The challenge is to start the jump (a single movement) the second your bottom leaves the seat rather than half-stand then jump. You should be leaning forward, spine straight. \u201cYou brace through all the anterior-posterior core muscles \u2014 load at the hips, then jump with both legs, create height and land in a controlled, compressed position,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cVery simple when you\u2019re 12, a lot harder in your mid-fifties.\u201d The higher the box, the easier it is \u2014 start from the lowest position in which you can maintain a straight back. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Read more expert advice on healthy living, fitness and wellbeing<\/a><\/p>\n

Lateral jumps (skaters) \u2014 athleticism<\/p>\n

With skater jumps, start by standing on your left leg \u2014 knee bent \u2014 to jump right, or vice versa. \u201cYou\u2019re creating lots of power to jump as wide as you can, to compress the landing, load the hip on that side, then create that immediate power to jump back the other way,\u201d Roberts says. The aim is to get faster and faster, and increase the number you can do. \u201cThink about racket sports: there\u2019s lots of lateral movement,\u201d he says. \u201cYou will get the balls no one else can get because you\u2019ve got that power, balance and co-ordination.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s no coincidence that tests by the Californian Titleist Performance Institute, which studies the body-swing connection in golf, found that the higher golfers could jump, the more powerful their swing. (Tour players averaged 18-22in on vertical jump tests.) Roberts says: \u201cTo jump high, you\u2019ve got to have strength, speed \u2014 you can then apply that to any sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Collage<\/p>\n

CIRCE HAMILTON FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Jumping off a box, quick turn \u2014 co-ordination<\/p>\n

This is a jump off a not-very-tall box, with a slightly stiffened landing then an immediate jump again to turn 90 degrees. \u201cThe stiff landing has bone benefits,\u201d Roberts says \u2014 as if you barely bend your knees, the impact is more jarring. (Choose a relatively soft surface to protect your joints.) Then, \u201cas soon as you land, you quickly turn the whole body to one side. Shoulders, hips and feet all turn at once. It requires huge co-ordination from your brace and posture mechanisms.\u201d <\/p>\n

Every great sportsperson has the ability to brace, Roberts adds. \u201cAs Federer hits the ball, his hand, shoulder, hips and knees are co-ordinated. That ability to co-ordinate the whole body and take it through 90 degrees is an amazing skill.\u201d You too can be like Federer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who dares jump in midlife? Me, although I did take a 45-year break from it. I last loved…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-272423","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}