As you begin increasing your endurance and get used to the basic body-weight
exercises, you can then increase your workout intensity with jumps. Many body-weight
moves become high-intensity moves, especially those with jumps. Here are some
different ones you can try out.
Lateral Jumps
Keep in mind all of these moves use quite a bit of intensity, so feel free to start slow with
a small number of reps, then gradually add in more reps and intensity when you build
up strength and endurance. This is also perfect for athletes who want to work on lateral
power, which is when you need to change directions faster and more efficiently. The
lateral jump is done by first standing with your legs apart, at about shoulder-width. Bend
down if you need to get power that way, jump up and to one side as high as you can.
You will then jump back and do the other side.
Jump Squats
Next up is a jumping move called the jump squat. This combines the squat, which is
excellent for your legs, buttocks, and core, with a high-intensity jump mixed in. You will
start with your legs in a squat formation shoulder-width apart. Bend your legs to go
down into the squat like you normally would, then when you come up, jump as high as
you can. Both feet should be off the ground when jumping. You really have a lot of
options for how difficult this is. As you get stronger, you can do lower squats and higher
jumps.
Jump Lunges
You can also turn simple lunges into jump lunges when you start working on your
strength and endurance. This is a good way to increase the intensity, adding in some
cardio along with the body-weight strength training. Start by doing a regular lunge with
one leg bent in front of you, and the other bent behind you. Lunge down, then when you
come up, jump in the air, alternating your legs as you do so.
Burpees
A common jumping body-weight exercise is the burpee. You will see these done in
fitness classes often, along with HIIT workouts, or any high-intensity body-weight
workout routine. To do a burpee, you start by standing with your feet at the standard
shoulder width apart and your arms down. Start to do a squat by pushing your hips back
and bending your knees, then go all the way down to put your hands flat on the ground
in front of you. Jump your feet and legs back, do a push-up, then go up and repeat it.