One Leg Squat
The one leg squat is a very powerful exercise, and a very difficult one as well. However, if you can master it you will see great rewards in the area of leg strength and power. I’ve been told that this exercise is better for your joints than regular squats, but I’ll let you be the [...]
Standing Calf Raise Exercise
The standing calf raise is an excellent exercise to use if you’re trying to increase your vertical jump, or just general leg strength. I have found that calf raises have really helped increase my jumping ability by giving me that little extra push right at the end of each jump. The best part about this [...]
Bulgarian Split Squat
The bulgarian split squat is a variation of lunges. If you haven’t looked at the lunge article yet I suggest you take a look at it. A bulgarian split squat will allow greater range of motion of the leg muscles. A greater range of motion translates to activation of more muscles and increased muscle strength [...]
Barbell Lunges
Barbell lunges are very useful for building overall strength and endurance. These should be used as one of the core exercises for your workouts since they are extremely effective. I would recommend taking a look at the dumbbell lunges page if you haven’t already.
To begin barbell lunges, load a bar with about 15-30% of your [...]
Dumbbell Lunges – Standing Or Walking
Dumbbell lunges are very useful for building high amounts of endurance and strength. This is a pretty tiring exercise especially when you kick up the weight a bit. Dumbbell lunges are usually one of the tougher exercises (like squats) and they should be performed with weights that only allow you to do about 8 reps. [...]
Lying Leg Curl
The lying leg curl is a very popular exercise within the bodybuilding crowd. This is a great exercise that will help build powerful hamstrings for more explosive strength. Be sure to stretch out your hamstrings a bit before performing lying leg curls in order to prevent any muscle strain.
Begin lying leg curls by laying face [...]
Reactive Squats
Reactive squats are similar to jump squats, but also different. Check out the jump squats page if you haven’t already. The difference between reactive squats and jump squats is that they emphasize different directions of movement. A reactive squat focuses on the downward motion while a jump squat emphasizes the explosive, jumping motion.
To begin reactive squats, load [...]
Iso-Ballistic Squat Jump
Iso-ballistic squat jumps are very similar to squat jumps. You should use these if you start to get a little bored with your regular routine and want to switch things up. As always, be sure to stretch out your legs before you do any heavy squatting stuff. You should especially focus on loosening up your [...]
Squat Jumps Exercise
Squat jumps are a very good exercise for improving overall strength and power. I would recommend using this exercise for any sport, even if you’re not trying to increase your vertical jump. The overall benefits you’ll see from any sort of squatting motion are tremendous since they promote muscle growth in the entire body. Squats [...]
One Leg Box Jump
The one leg box jump is a very difficult exercise. If you haven’t tried regular box jumps yet I would highly recommend you start with them before attempting one leg box jumps. This exercise will greatly increase the strength of your calf muscles and overall one-leg explosive power.
To begin the one leg box jump, find [...]
