Bench Hop-Over

The Bench Hop-Over is a plyometric exercise where your muscles subjected to maximum force for short intervals of time. This exercise increases the explosive power and speed of your lower body. You can perform this exercise on lower body split days or incorporate it into your HIIT or circuit training.

The only piece of equipment you will need to perform this exercise is an exercise bench, a bench about 30cm high, although you can obviously increase the height of the bench depending on your athletic abilities.

This is a compound exercise so the main muscles worked are your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. The Bench Hop-Over also works your core and upper body, this is due to you using your upper body to help stabilise yourself during this move, your hands holding the end of the bench. This is also a great Aerobic exercise as it strengthens your heart, lungs, and improves your bodies overall efficiency to use oxygen.

• Stand on one side of a bench or step, bend down and hold both sides, this will help stabilise you.
• Jump sideways over the bench, concentrating on your explosive power, make sure you take off and land with both feet together.
• Upon landing immediately jump back over to where you started.
• Alternate your jumps from side to side, making sure you have a firm grip of the bench, keep your shoulders inline with your hands, your arms and back straight.
• Jump over, NOT around the bench.
• This is a plyometric exercise for increasing power, so as you get better, jump higher and faster.
• Increase the height of the bench for even more of a challenge.
• The Bench Hop-over exercise mainly works your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves