Leaps n’ Bounds
“Bower! Why are we always jumping??”
I get this a lot. In fact, as you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking “why DO we jump during our sessions?”
Well I want to answer that for you. Because although us adults don’t tend to jump much beyond childhood, love ‘em or hate ‘em, it’s absolutely worth the effort.
Here are 4 benefits to programing jumps in a training plan:
Bone density: regularly training controlled impact (such as landing) can significantly offset the reduction in bone density that typically occurs with ageing. A denser bone is less likely to fracture, and also less likely to become osteoporotic (or at least delay its progression)
Neurological adaptations: the rapid movements involved in jumping & landing train not only our muscular system, but our nervous system as well. It promotes faster nerve conduction resulting in the ability to produce quicker, more reactive movement in day-to-day life (which is literally always a good thing)
3. Lower leg explosiveness: jumps improve what’s known as Rate of Force Development (RFD), meaning we can express more strength in a shorter period of time. It also causes tendons to thicken, enabling them to store and release energy more efficiently. This translates to legs which are both powerful AND springy, which again, is literally always a good thing. Be it running, picking up heavy groceries or leaping over waves at the beach.
4. Skill learning: when we land from altitude, we learn how to “self-organise” into a stable position (so we don’t crumble into the floor and hurt ourselves). This kind of body awareness is important for so many day-to-day activities as I’m sure you can imagine. Also, us adults tend not to partake in sport very much as we get older, which robs us of the ability to move variably. Most of our movement, if we’re not careful, becomes rather linear. But movement variability allows us to remain functional and resilient throughout life. So jumping every week helps us to maintain those athletic qualities, even if we’re not trying to join a soccer league.
Remember, fitness isn’t just about what goes on in the gym.
It’s about the functional adaptations we walk away with and use in day-to-day life…
…be it for sport, parenting, or just moving with ease and efficiency as much as possible, for as long as possible.
Almost every adult should be jumping in some form on a regular basis if they’re looking to live long and pain free lives.
So if you know someone who isn’t, share this blog post and encourage them to reach out to me. You could really be helping them.
What tasks do you find have gotten easier since you’ve started training?
I’d love to hear.
Talk soon!
