The Bunny Hop

In honor of Easter, this week’s exercise is the Bunny Hop. Add it to your fitness repertoire for cardio with the multitude of modifications and options. Better yet, get the kids involved too – they’ll love it and it can put some fun back into the workout.

Keep feet together and knees soft throughout – with your abs engaged and standing tall, literally hop up and down. Make sure you land into your heels with the knees bent. Do this for 30-60 seconds and repeat in between weights or alternate with other cardio drills.

Notes: Keep breathing throughout. Do not let your shoulders rise to your ears as you do these exercises.

Easier: If impact bothers your ankles, knees or lower back, do not leave the floor on your hops. Instead rise up to the balls of your feet and sink back down into your heels and bend your knees.

Harder: Do more reps and/or longer intervals, hop over objects moving forward and/or backwards and/or side to side. Use a soft ball or medicine ball held between your thighs OR ankles (both are challenging in different ways). Do single foot hops (do one rep of 30 seconds on the right foot only, switch to the left foot for the second rep). Make the hops faster and/or deeper – sinking deep into your heels and bending the knees and hopping higher with more power.