Most people don’t tend to think about frogs’ legs very much. If you were to think about them, you’d realise just how incredible they are. Powered by those legs, many frogs can leap 30 times their own body-length, and a tree frog can leap 150 times its own body-length. For a 6ft man, that equates to jumping around three football pitches. So for anyone keen to improve their leg strength, or dreaming of one day being able to clear the length of Wembley in one go, adding the frog jump exercise into your weekly regimen can only be a good idea.
The frog jump will not only add plenty of power to your lower body, but also acts as an efficient cardiovascular workout if you shoot for as many reps as possible in the intervals you do. The main muscles worked by the movement are your thighs, calves and glutes, which will be firing on all cylinders after a couple of jumps.
How to do it
Unlike an authentic amphibian, you start in a standing position. From there you slowly squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Keep your hands out in front of you and try not to use them for balance. Then explode into the air and throw your hands up, before landing as quietly as possible. Repeat as many jumps as you can, aiming to get as high as possible, for 20 to 30 seconds or however long the intervals are in a circuit-training session. Then take a break and go again.
You don’t have to stay in one spot with your frog jumps. If you’ve a bit of space, you can fire forwards and backwards with each leap, either going for power by jumping as far as possible, or conditioning by doing a series of little hops in double-quick time.
It’s also an exercise you can take to the stairs. Rest your hands a few steps above you, then leap up and land your feet either a step below, or either side of your hands if you’re feeling flexible. Climbing a staircase in frog fashion will really get your heart pumping. And if your co-workers demand an explanation, tell them how far a tree frog can jump.
