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Exercise library / Plyo Lunge

Plyo Lunge

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A more challenging exercise. Make it a goal if you like. “Show alternatives” below lists easier steps toward it.

An explosive split-stance jump that switches the legs in mid-air, alternating each rep.

Main focus
Power
Level
Building
Equipment
Bodyweight
Load
Your body weight
Stability
Unstable: single leg, suspended or on a ball
Balance type
Stepping balance

Keep something steady within reach: a counter, wall or sturdy chair.

Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

Supportive shoes and a forgiving, non-slip surface.

How to do it

  1. Start in a forward lunge with one foot ahead of the other.
  2. Drop into a deep lunge with the back knee almost touching the floor.
  3. Drive both feet off the floor, switching legs in mid-air.
  4. Land softly in a lunge with the opposite leg forward.
  5. Continue alternating without pausing.

How much

To start: Begin with a few short, easy sets of 3 to 5 repetitions with long rests, on a forgiving surface.

As it gets easier: Build slowly: add a repetition or a set no more than once a week. Stop each set while your form is still crisp.

How it should feel: Fast and crisp, never rushed or sloppy. You should finish every set feeling you could do more.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Land softly with bent knees to absorb impact.
  • Switch the leg position fully — do not just hop in place.
  • Keep the torso upright — do not pitch forward.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Warm up well, and build the number of repetitions and the height slowly over weeks.
More safety notes
  • Land softly with your knees slightly bent.
  • Rest between sets. Stop as soon as your form fades or you feel tired.
  • Keep stable support within reach, such as a counter, rack or wall, until the movement feels steady.
  • Clear the floor around you and wear shoes with a good grip.
  • Go slowly, and make the movement smaller if you feel unsteady.

From the source

  • Switch the leg position fully — do not just hop in place.
  • Keep the torso upright — do not pitch forward.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • You feel pain in a foot, ankle, knee or hip when you land.
  • Your landing becomes heavy or uneven.
  • You feel unsteady and support does not settle you.
  • You feel dizzy or lightheaded.

Other ways to do this movement

Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in

Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.