Lateral box jumps develop strong, explosive legs while improving balance and coordination. This exercise trains the body to move quickly from side-to-side. Perfect for skiers, basketball and volleyball players – lateral box jumps increase lower-body explosiveness.
The lateral hop is performed in an open area to develop lateral quickness and leg power. No equipment is needed to perform lateral hops. Beginners should develop a strong lower-body before attempting any plyometric exercise. Lateral hops will strengthen the thighs and reinforce proper movement patterns. Stability and balance are also improved.
Lateral jumps on the trampoline strengthen the ankles, hips and glutes. This exercise develops explosive strength necessary in many sports such as, gymnastics and wakeboarding. In fact, wakeboarders repeatedly practice their movements on the trampoline to perfect their tricks before hitting the water. Use the trampoline to add variety in your workouts.
The Lateral Jump Burpee is a great exercise for football, volleyball, and martial arts. The Lateral Jump Burpee strengthens the whole body. For a challenging metabolic workout perform for 60 seconds, rest 60 seconds and repeat for five reps. Find an open field to perform the Lateral Jump Burpee.
The lateral lunge thrust alternating legs strengthens the legs, hips, torso, arms and shoulders. Lateral lunge thrusts develop and strengthen basic motor patterns. The lateral movement increases inner thigh flexibility. This is a great bodyweight conditioning exercise that can be performed at home or in the gym. Use dumbbells for increased upper body demand.
Lateral lunge touchdown and thrust strengthens the legs, hips, torso, arms and shoulders. This bodyweight exercise strengthens basic motor patterns and provides a great conditioning workout. Alternating legs provides a balanced, full-body workout. Lateral lunge touchdown and thrust is a perfect for drill for basketball players due to the side-to-side movement and upper-body component. Use a medicine ball for added resistance.
Lateral lunges with rotation are a great exercise for basketball and tennis. This exercise develops and strengthens basic motor patterns and transfers well to the court. Rotation during the exercise activates the core muscles and provides stimulation for the core. Holding a medicine ball or dumbbell will further challenge your trunk muscles.
The Lateral Lunging Cross Body Muscle Snatch is a great exercise to enhance coordination. It uses most of the muscles in your body and teaches them to work together in the most efficient manner. This is a great exercise for beginners to get their body moving in different directions.
The Lateral Medicine Ball Slam is a great whole body exercise that will challenge some often neglected muscles, like the obliques. This exercise replicates the movement of swinging a sledgehammer or an axe, two forms of tough physical work. It is best to do this exercise with a ball that does not bounce.
The lateral shuffle is a dynamic warm-up drill that mimics performance in sport. Rest periods can be kept to a minimum in order to challenge the cardiovascular system. For best results keep a low center of gravity. This exercise requires the hips and hamstrings to decelerate before alternating directions. Deceleration is a common cause of many sport-specific injuries. Perform the lateral shuffle for added agility and quickness.
The leg tucked band crunch strengthens the abdominals and obliques. The resistance band makes flexion of the spine more difficult, therefore increasing the difficulty of the exercise. Depending on your goals – choose a lighter band for muscular endurance or a heavier band for muscular strength. The leg-tucked position decreases the hip flexor involvement.
The leg-tucked crunch is a good beginner exercise for developing abdominal strength. The leg-tucked position lessens the load on the low-back and decreases the hip flexor involvement. The abdominals and obliques flex the spine and should be trained along with the low-back muscles if you desire a strong core.
Medicine-ball crunches target and define the abdominals. Using a medicine ball increased the resistance on the abs and obliques. This additional core muscle recruitment leads to faster results.
Medicine ball half curl downs target and define the abdominals. Using a medicine ball increases the resistance on the abs and obliques. This additional core muscle recruitment leads to faster results.
The medicine ball sit up sculpts and strengthens the abs and obliques. Sit ups also involve the hip flexors and lower back to a lesser degree. Using the med ball will continue to challenge the abs long after basic crunches have been mastered.
The narrow-feet crunch on bolster is an effective exercise for strengthening the abs and obliques. This exercise can be performed at home or in the gym. If a bolster is unavailable you can use a rolled up towel. The bolster increases the exercises range of motion and provides for a better contraction.
The narrow stance barbell half squat is a good way to build strength in the legs. Using a narrow stance adds variety and challenges the legs in a slightly different way. Only squatting halfway allows you to use more weight than a full squat. Always keep your back straight and your weight on your heels when squatting.
The A-Bound exercise can be used as a dynamic warm-up or plyometric, lower-body exercise. No equipment is needed so it can be done by almost anyone, anywhere. You might find this exercise in strength and conditioning program for basketball, track and filed, soccer and football. A good base level of lower body strength and conditioning is desired before attempting the A-Bound.
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