Work Your Butt And Thighs With This Cardio Move

Studio Firma / Stocksy

When you think of lower-body exercises you think squats and lunges. Great strength moves, but they can be oh so much more. Add a little jump into the mix and you’ve got yourself a strength-building, calorie-burning plyometric move. And that’s exactly the appeal (and the reason to hate) butt-burning, thighs-on-fire jumping lunges.

“Jumping lunges really are a great cardio move if you also want to build strength and power in your legs,” says Cori Lefkowith, Orange County-based personal trainer and founder of Redefining Strength. “You can do a few different variations too—you can perform a jump lunge staying on one side, or even alternate jumping from side to side.”

But then again, the classic is pretty pumped up too—here’s how to do jumping lunges.

Jumping Lunges

 

Whitney Thielman

• Starting standing with feet shoulder-width apart. Jump your left leg forward and your right leg back into a lunge, with both knees at 90 degrees.
• Jump up and switch your legs in midair so that you land in a lunge with your right leg in front.
• Continue jumping back and forth, pausing as little as possible. 
• A few form tips: Make sure you’re keeping your chest up, says Lefkowith. And be sure to land with your entire front foot on the floor. “You don’t stay up on the ball of your front foot.”
• Do 20 seconds of jumping lunges, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat eight times. This method is otherwise known as Tabata: “It’s fun and oh-so horrible at the same time,” says Lefkowith. You can also incorporate jumping lunges into your regular workout in 30-second bouts, she adds.

Need a modification? “Beginners can do the alternating jumping lunges by not sinking as low or by taking some of the impact out and stepping between lunges,” says Lefkowith. No matter how you do them, though, you’ll definitely be burned out by the end.

You may also like: Your 10-Minute Fat-Burning Plyometric Workout

Related:

• These Three Moves Will Give You A Total-Body, At-Home Workout
• This Challenging Plank Variation Works Your Abs And Back At The Same Time
• The 8-Minute Workout That Will Leave You Completely Exhausted

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