Conditioning
Jump plank
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- abs · hip flexors · front delts
- Also
- quads · chest · triceps · calves
The jump plank is a high plank where you jump both feet forward toward your hands, then jump them straight back out. It raises your heart rate fast while asking your shoulders and trunk to hold position under repeated impact. It suits anyone comfortable holding a solid plank who wants conditioning work in a small space, with no equipment.
Form
How to do jump plank
- 1Set up in a high plank: hands under your shoulders, arms straight, legs long, body in one line from head to heels.
- 2Brace your middle and push the floor away so your upper back stays broad and your hips do not sag.
- 3Jump both feet forward, landing softly on the balls of your feet somewhere near your hands, keeping your hands planted and your shoulders over them.
- 4Jump the feet straight back to the plank, landing light and long rather than crashing down.
- 5Breathe out as the feet come in, breathe in as they go back. Keep the rhythm steady rather than sprinting for the first few and stalling.
- 6When the effort ends, step the feet in and stand up slowly rather than dropping to the floor.
Watch for
Common mistakes
The hips pike high in the air on each jump.
Fix: Jump the feet forward rather than up, and keep your eyes on a spot just ahead of your hands to hold the torso low.
Shoulders drift behind the wrists, so the plank collapses on landing.
Fix: Reset your hands directly under your shoulders and push actively through the floor for the whole effort.
Landing heavily and flat footed, which jars the wrists and back.
Fix: Land on the balls of your feet with soft knees and think quiet contact with the floor.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.