Vertical Jump Exercises - A Fresh Perspective On Lunges

Great training routines are hard to come by. In addition, once you get one that you like, it's tempting to stick with it. The problem with that is that the mind and body adapt to the programme and you find that your gains will slow down and eventually plateau. That's why it's important to vary your vertical jump exercises to keep your body guessing and growing at the same time. Variety being the spice of life, it helps keep your gym time fun too.

Let's add a different dimension to the usual groan of pushing out the mighty squat in the weight room - the lunge. Now admittedly, squats get all the glory in the gym, and rightly so because they are a staple exercise. That said, lunges are a terrific substitute for the times when you need a little change or variety to keep things fresh and challenging. I'm going to use Dumbbells for weights in this article, for those times when getting into the weight room might be difficult.

I'd suggest working in the 6-8 rep zone per leg with your lunges, so the dumbbells need to be sized so that completing your reps is a high intensity activity with a strong feeling of burn or failure at the last rep. Remember that vertcial jump exercises need to be intense and not a test of stamina. Here are four of my favourite dumbbell lunge routines that get my quads pumping every time.

#1. Forward Dumbbell Lunges.

Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Take a step ahead with one foot, leaving the other fixed and dip until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Your rear thigh will be vertical and your rear knee a couple of inches off the ground. Keep your rear knee off the ground. Control the movement and push back upwards to a standing position, and then repeat on the other side. For added variety, use an aerobic step in front of you to step onto, about 2 inches high from the floor.

#2. Reverse Dumbbell Lunges.

This is a similar motion to the first exercise, the difference is that you take a step back instead of a step forwards. The mid-point of the exercise is the same as the forward lungs, with the same rules for thighs and knees as above.

#3. Swing Dumbbell Lunges.

This is a combination of exercises #1 and #2, and is a high intensity exercise. After reaching the forward lunge position, swing straight back through the start position and drop immediately into the reverse position on the same leg. Do a straight set of 6-8 swing lunges on the left before switching over to the right. Not for the faint hearted.

#4. Walking Dumbbell Lunges.

I've had a few strange looks in the gym when doing this one, but don't let that put you off. Start with a forward lunge movement, but instead of reversing the motion and stepping back to where you started from, bring your back leg up to a standing position so that you've moved one pace forwards. Now repeat by putting the other leg forwards next. Obviously you'll need a clear passage of space to perform this in, although you can always double back 180 degrees to get a few extra steps in.

So there you have it - four alternative vertical jump exercises to shock and surprise your leg fibres and keep your training fun.