Mastering Explosivity

Essential for building strong glutes, hamstrings and quads, Poppy’s leveling up a barbell staple with a pause at the bottom of the movement that’ll strengthen the big lower body muscle groups needed to generate explosive power. Start with a bench to practice your form and remove when you have it locked down.

Build your dynamic leg strength with this key plyometric movement. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, complete a regular squat, and then engage your core and jump up explosively. Focus on the landing: keep it controlled as you lower back into the squat position for max gains.

Get your blood flowing and set your power zone muscles – glutes, hamstrings, and lower back – on fire with this foundational movement. To maximize your power gains, focus on using a heavy kettlebell for low rep sets.

A showcase movement for triple extension at the hip, knee and ankle, the key here is to keep your hips engaged and your core tight. Starting with the dumbbell on the ground, lift the dumbbell with your legs and back – your arm straight until it reaches your hip – before turning your elbow underneath the dumbbell and pushing it overhead.

Another movement that comes from the hips, ensure that the kettlebell stays close to the body and that you take your arm around the kettlebell As you’re going through the movement, remember that it’s an explosive hip snap that sends the kettlebell up to your chest – not your arms.

Using dumbbells or kettlebells, complete a suitcase deadlift before exploding up and off the ground at the top of the deadlift. Keep your jump powerful and your landing controlled to build your hamstring, glute, and quad strength.  

We’re building on a movement Poppy introduced last week by adding weight. You’ll still be using an overhand grip on the bar, engaging your abs and raising your legs until they are at 90° to your torso, and bringing your legs back to the start. It’ll burn a little more, though – as it should.

Increase your balance while strengthening the muscles that help stabilize your knee. Also improves hamstring, glute and core strength.

Continue to challenge your balance and stability, and make sure to consciously prevent your knee from buckling or caving in medially as you move through the range of motion.

This: raising the barbell from the floor to overhead in one fluid motion. Think it sounds easy? Instead of using just your arms, engage your core, glutes, and hamstrings to drive upward, while keeping the barbell as close to the body as possible.

Think about pulling your body underneath the bar in order to "catch" it safely during this movement.

Two different levels of explosive power recruit muscle fibers from different muscle groups. The shorter hurdle hops will fire up your calves and lower leg muscles, while the larger box jump activates your glutes and hamstrings.

Build your dynamic leg strength with this key plyometric movement. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, complete a regular squat, and then engage your core and jump up explosively. Focus on the landing: keep it controlled as you lower back into the squat position for max gains.

Take the standard kettlebell swing up a notch and go unilateral. For an added challenge, try switching arms at the top of your swing at eye level.

Single-leg movements are going to provide a next-level challenge for your core and small stabilizing muscles. Just like a standard box jump land softly and step off one leg at a time, rather than jumping down.

Combining this single leg movement with the explosive box jump creates a complex that challenges your proprioception, stabilizing muscles, and the power generating muscle groups in your lower body.

Stay low and think about hip flexor extension (pushing your foot back behind you) as you drive with your glutes and hamstrings.

Remain in an athletic stance and pull hand over hand. Protect your lower back by engaging your core, glutes and hamstrings.

This full-body finisher is a spicy variation of the med ball slam. Focus on your balance and coordination and feel good about the new skills you've added to your toolbox.