Torch Calories with Tuck Jumps

Learn how to master the tuck jump, a plyometric training staple that will send your calorie burn into overdrive.

If you want to take the intensity of your workout up a notch, you can’t overlook the tuck jump. A solid set of tuck jumps is one of the best ways to quickly spike your heart rate—helping to torch calories and rid fat. Not only a calorie killer, this explosive movement integrates all the major muscle groups and helps build incredible strength in the legs and core.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7oBejx1PHM

While on the outside it looks like a simple jump, there are a few tricks to perfecting your tuck jump technique.

How to do the perfect tuck jump

• Start with your feet apart and your chest up
• Drop your butt back and down
• Drive your arms up and push off the floor
• Lift your knees toward your chest
• Bend your knees as you land to absorb the impact

How to make tuck jumps most effective

To get the most from your tuck jumps, try doing as many as you can in quick succession. Aim for two to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. When it gets tough, focus on your mental fortitude to push you through. If you feel like you absolutely can’t go on, simply take a short break, and then keep going. With a little practice, you’ll be breezing through sets of continuous tucks in no time!

If you want a little variety (or you’re not so keen on the knees-up nature of the tuck jump), the squat jump is a great alternative. Like tuck jumps, power-packed squat jumps recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers and enable your body to churn though lots of calories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72BSZupb-1I

How to do the perfect squat jump

• Start with your feet wide and your chest up
• Sit your butt down and back to just above the knee line
• Drive with your arms up and push off the floor
• Land back in squat position

With no need for equipment or excessive space, you can smash out sets of tuck jumps or squat jumps any time you please. Alternatively, give LES MILLS GRIT Cardio a go—it’s a short, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class that provides plenty of opportunities to benefit from jumps, leaps, runs and more.

Find a LES MILLS GRIT workout near you or work out at home.

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This piece originally appeared on lesmills.com.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Les Mills