Jump squats?

[crisp13]

Are jump squats and other variations of weighted plyometrics bad for your knees?

[DivaJana]

IMO Any exercise done with improper form will have the potential of causing injury.

-Don't land with your legs locked. Bend your legs and absorb the fall (like when you jump off a tree) then your knees should be fine.
-Don't let your knees get past your toes when you land. Absorb the the fall with your hips, not your knees.

[crisp13]

Well thats great news, i love weighted plyos. I was misled that even with proper form they were bad for the knees, thanks.

[FromSquare1]

I'd just do snatches if you want power.. Seems more efficient with less stress on knees to me.

[veggie530]

I'd honestly be more concerned about my back. With barbells it seems like there is a lot of force coming down and compressing your spine.

But I may just be superstitious and scurred.

[womanoid]

I'd honestly be more concerned about my back. With barbells it seems like there is a lot of force coming down and compressing your spine.

But I may just be superstitious and scurred.

lol, that isn't how you load for plyo. Vests or handheld weights are used.

Anyway, high impact exercise inherently carries more risk than low/no impact.

[jgreystoke]

Russians invented plyos.

They might do them for maybe a couple weeks, a couple times a year.

If they bother to do them, they typically do very low volume, never approaching within an ass's roar of failure, probably during a deload from heavy training.

Any particular reason for doing them?

And will you use them sparingly, the way they were supposed to be used?

[Singularity7]

Are jump squats and other variations of weighted plyometrics bad for your knees?

Nope as long as you have proper form and a smart approach to add them into a routine. As the other guy said do not do them to failure as your form has to be spot on or risk injuring yourself.

I do them sometimes only with the bar or without just before i do squats to fire up my CNS.

[crisp13]

Russians invented plyos.

They might do them for maybe a couple weeks, a couple times a year.

If they bother to do them, they typically do very low volume, never approaching within an ass's roar of failure, probably during a deload from heavy training.

Any particular reason for doing them?

And will you use them sparingly, the way they were supposed to be used?

I want to get faster for many reasons, play lots of team sports recreationally, i wanna run a 40 in under 5 seconds, i sprint just for the hell of it. I have an obsession with speed. Plus u never know when you gotta run away from someone/something, or run something/someone down. I think velocity is one of the most underrated attributes to possess.

And yea i will be doing them gradually and not to failure. Ive been doing bodyweight plyos and intervals for a while now and am just looking to up the intensity a bit. I am also starting olympic lifts.

[Enso]

I do them on occasion and never have any issues. Just use a comfortable weight and don't get too out of hand with it. As with anything, done right you will have no problems. Jump squats are easy to fock up though, so start off just doing your own body weight first then start with the bar, etc.

[bmontgomery87]

Well thats great news, i love weighted plyos. I was misled that even with proper form they were bad for the knees, thanks.

if done with good form you're probably okay
but I'd personally do box jumps as there is less impact

[Enso]

if done with good form you're probably okay
but I'd personally do box jumps as there is less impact

You can get a much better hip thrust/extension with jump squats though. That is my experience at least. Jump squat with weight, then do a couple of box jumps back to back (so long as you don't over due the JS).

[bmontgomery87]

You can get a much better hip thrust/extension with jump squats though. That is my experience at least. Jump squat with weight, then do a couple of box jumps back to back (so long as you don't over due the JS).

most of the jumps I've done have been singles or maybe up to 3 reps then I rest. I've always focused on being really explosive and getting height.
I never got people like crossfitters who do 10 box jumps in a row.

[Enso]

most of the jumps I've done have been singles or maybe up to 3 reps then I rest. I've always focused on being really explosive and getting height.
I never got people like crossfitters who do 10 box jumps in a row.

Yeah, I only do 3 jumps max when I do them. And, when I do do jump squats I usually don't don't do more than 6.

Crossfitters doing high rep box jumps are going mainly for conditioning. I did do a 6 rep snatch balance coupled with 30 inch box jump for 12 reps once....and that was enough lol. Holy hell that chit was off the hook hard.

[-Lucifer]

Are jump squats and other variations of weighted plyometrics bad for your knees?

Well, yes, the risk is probably higher but do what you got to do. Make sure you land on the balls of your feet and wear good running shoes. You should be fine.

[jgreystoke]

I want to get faster for many reasons, play lots of team sports recreationally, i wanna run a 40 in under 5 seconds, i sprint just for the hell of it. I have an obsession with speed. Plus u never know when you gotta run away from someone/something, or run something/someone down. I think velocity is one of the most underrated attributes to possess.

And yea i will be doing them gradually and not to failure. Ive been doing bodyweight plyos and intervals for a while now and am just looking to up the intensity a bit. I am also starting olympic lifts.

Great stuff.

So long as you don't turn them into any kind of main movements to compromise recovery with squat, dead, snatch, clean and jerk, etc they will be very beneficial beneficial.

Lift well and prosper.