Lateral Hops
The move of the week is another cardio exercise, which can be used to test out your new digital fitness tracker or the Perceived Exertion Scale of effort – both discussed in my other articles this week. This move will work the legs, particularly the outer hips and inner thighs, as well as core. The extra value is it trains the body in a lateral movement (side to side) and as humans; the majority of our motion is in the sagital plane (forward and back). It’s also great for developing ankle stability (ensure proper footwear when doing this exercise). Clear a space of about 3 – 5 feet in diameter around you. Shift your weight to your left foot and jump sideways to the right, landing on your right foot and bringing your left leg into the right leg (imagine the left inner thigh squeezing the right inner thigh). Immediately jump back to the left, landing on the left foot and bringing right inner thigh to left. Repeat for 30-60”. Incorporate this move into a strength-training workout or a light cardio workout to ramp up the intensity and burn extra cals. Keep breathing regularly throughout; your head and chest up; shoulders pressed down your back and abs pulled in. You will naturally hinge at the hips but make sure you don’t collapse the back. Let the arms move freely. Imagine jumping over a puddle or log sideways so not only are you moving laterally but you also want to achieve some height to the jumps. As you land, absorb the weight into the heel of the supporting foot and bend the knee. This will also “wind you up” for the rebound movement back.
Notes: Watch your lower back – don’t allow yourself to hunch over, and keep the abs drawn in tight. Wear proper footwear to protect your arches and ankles. Keep the landings soft without ever locking the knees.
Easier: Keep the movements low impact so that you always have one foot on the ground. Keep your knees bent and weight in the heels to work the legs. Think of this more as a very wide and low side step.
Harder: Attempt to make your hops wider and higher. You can even place an obstacle to jump over such as a bag or portable step (just make sure you can easily clear it). Change the tempo of the hops – shorter and faster or wider, deeper and slower with a pause at each landing. To increase the intensity further, intentionally add bigger, more exaggerated arm movements or hold light weights (2-5lbs).
