I’m going to try jump squats for the first time and i just wondered if any experienced lifters can tell me what kind of footwear and flooring works best with them. I don’t want to go through trial and error and end up hurting my knees or ankles. I normally train barefoot and at home i have some cheap floor protection mats to stop damage to the floor, i have a few more pairs of mats which i can stack on each other so that its 2-3 layers thick, would this be ideal for jump squats while in barefoot?, or do i even need them?.
I get confused with all the different exercise guides i see, some with trainers on and some without - i thought that compressible soles were undesirable and you lost power. Any advice?
Compressible soles will have a tiny tiny effect on the height of your jump, but they do not change the efficacy of the exercise. You don’t need anything special as far as protecting yourself, but you might as well use the protection mats to protect the floor and minimize sound.
[quote]Fezzik wrote:
Compressible soles will have a tiny tiny effect on the height of your jump, but they do not change the efficacy of the exercise. You don’t need anything special as far as protecting yourself, but you might as well use the protection mats to protect the floor and minimize sound. [/quote]
Thank you for your reply, i guess i will do these with my running shoes on then.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
My advice is to not do jump squats.[/quote]
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
My advice is to not do jump squats.[/quote]
Could you elaborate on this please?
[/quote]
If your goals are bigger legs (which I assume they are, considering you’re posting in the bodybuilding forum), jump squats aren’t going to get you there.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
My advice is to not do jump squats.[/quote]
Could you elaborate on this please?
[/quote]
If your goals are bigger legs (which I assume they are, considering you’re posting in the bodybuilding forum), jump squats aren’t going to get you there. [/quote]
Ah ok i see what you mean. I’ve been doing Total Body Training (TBT) and just fancied a change about really for the quad dominant exercise.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
My advice is to not do jump squats.[/quote]
Lol i said that exact thing as i was opening this thread.[/quote]
x3
I really can’t imagine a singular situation where the benefits out weight the risks of such an exercise.
[/quote]
What risks? Jump squats are generally done with 20% of bodyweight on the barbell, i.e. the bar itself (~45 lbs). I don’t think anyone’s going to get injured here.
However OP, vertical jumps and box jumps can be very effective as well to help you feel more explosive during a leg workout. For me I always do box jumps with front squats. IMO plyometrics is one thing bodybuilders can learn from Olympic weightlifters.
beginners’ feet leaving the ground with a loaded spine.
I don’t care if it is with 45lbs or 450lbs. It is fucking stupid.
If you have a coach and are doing it for some athletics, fine. For BB’ing or general fitness, putting you ankles, knees and spine in a position where failure is exponentially increased, is plain dumb.
Tell the chick at work that was on crutches that 45lbs isn’t a lot and no one is going to get hurt jump squatting with that. You assume a lot of shit here man.
If some stupid trainer ever had my mother, aunt or wife doing that shit I would slap the taste out of their mouth.
I have only seen jump squats done with bodyweight–these carry as much risk as any other gym exercise. Jump squats with a weighted barbell increases risk mostly because of the awkward positioning; they inhibit the body’s auto balance system. For instance, say someone pushes you. Even if you only have a broomstick on your shoulders, you are much more likely to fall down. If you want to do them weighted, find a weighted vest.
Anyway, these are not useful as far as getting your legs big. As a speed-strength exercise they are useful if you are interested in performance at all. Depending on how they are done they can also be reactive. They are fine to be included in metabolic training as well.
[quote]Fezzik wrote:
I have only seen jump squats done with bodyweight–these carry as much risk as any other gym exercise. Jump squats with a weighted barbell increases risk mostly because of the awkward positioning; they inhibit the body’s auto balance system. For instance, say someone pushes you. Even if you only have a broomstick on your shoulders, you are much more likely to fall down. If you want to do them weighted, find a weighted vest.
Anyway, these are not useful as far as getting your legs big. As a speed-strength exercise they are useful if you are interested in performance at all. Depending on how they are done they can also be reactive. They are fine to be included in metabolic training as well. [/quote]
Bodybuilding forum, bodybuilding section- If you are looking for speed exercises, you are wrong.
[quote]Akuma01 wrote:
Bodybuilding forum, bodybuilding section- If you are looking for speed exercises, you are wrong.
= No jump squats.[/quote]
Ok. Then tell him he posted in the wrong section. Do we really need 10 people saying just not to do them without any reasoning whatsoever? Are you going to tell someone asking about hill sprints the same thing if they post in here instead of conditioning?
Whether you are right or wrong, the majority of you are treating the OP like an a–hole. It’s not like he said he wanted to replace squats. It’s not like he was asking about the best ab exercise for hawt abs. He’s just a dude that wants to know how to do jump squats safely.
[quote]Akuma01 wrote:
Bodybuilding forum, bodybuilding section- If you are looking for speed exercises, you are wrong.
= No jump squats.[/quote]
Ok. Then tell him he posted in the wrong section. Do we really need 10 people saying just not to do them without any reasoning whatsoever? Are you going to tell someone asking about hill sprints the same thing if they post in here instead of conditioning?
Whether you are right or wrong, the majority of you are treating the OP like an a–hole. It’s not like he said he wanted to replace squats. It’s not like he was asking about the best ab exercise for hawt abs. He’s just a dude that wants to know how to do jump squats safely.[/quote]
Like I said, if you have a coach and are doing it for some sort of athletics, fine. Plus the weighted vest is about 3,000 times better idea than a bar. If someone is doing bw jumps or whatever, fine also.
I have a major problem with someone’s feet leaving the ground with a bar on their back is all. And I can’t not speak out that I feel the risks are just too high with a good conscious.
I’m not trying to put anyone down, OP especially. I just want to be the voice of “over bearing, protective, mother hen” I guess.
OP, like everyone else said, if your goals are bigger legs jump squats are probably not the best tool to get there.
However, if you still feel inclined to do them, don’t do it with a bar on your back. Setting a band up, using a vest, or holding dumbells at your side are all safer, more effective ways to do it. Also, go light, like 10-20% of your BW. This is about speed/explosion, not heavy loading