Surely when reading the name of bunny hops Have you imagined something as nice and adorable as the charming animal. However, it is the name of an exercise that is as fun as it is intense, which you probably won’t be able to endure doing for much more than 60 seconds.

And it is one of those plyometric exercises that intensely works the lower body, in addition to explosive strength and cardiovascular resistance. It is an ideal exercise both to include in the warm-up and to work with intensity, the legs or add a little cardio to your routine.

How to do it

1. It starts in a sitting positiona, with feet shoulder-width apart and knees just above the toes. The back should be kept straight and, the deeper the leg curl, the greater the intensity.
2. From there, you must jump forward with both legs at the same time, without extending them in the jump. Therefore, the hip should always be kept lowas in the squat position.
3. The feet must jump simultaneously in parallel and always separated at the same width.
4. keep the active core at all times during the exercise.
5. With each jump, you must make sure fall on the tips instead of the heels, to avoid injuries or discomfort.
6. You can take the hands on hip or extend them forward as when doing a squat.

Other versions

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If you don’t have space to do forward jumps, you can also do them vertically, doing repetitions, without moving from the spot. Crouch down and jump as high as you can, keeping your feet on the ground for as little time as possible.

Another option is to perform the exercise following the premises of the training system Animal Flow: that is, imitating the movement of the rabbit’s legs. This implies also rest your hands on the ground to bring your feet to them a movement in two phasesvery similar to that of the animal.

As you gain range of motion, you will be able to bring your feet further forward until they even surpass your hands, increasing the distance of the jump. If what you want is increase intensity of the exercise, you can perform the bunny hops while holding a kettlebell with both hands.

What do you work with bunny hops?

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As you will see, it is a jumping exercise as dynamic and enjoyable as the jumping jackideal for training and to raise your heart rate. That also helps you burn calories and improve your cardiovascular endurance.

Furthermore, it is an exercise with which you will work intensely. quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutesin addition to the corewhich will have an essential job when it comes to stabilizing the body in each act.

Likewise, since it is a plyometric exercise, works explosive strength of legs and gluteswhich is especially interesting for fast muscle fibers.

It is an exercise especially suitable for runnerssince it strengthens the lower body in a simple way that does not require additional material.