Depth Jump
Key notes
- Type of exercise: Plyometric
- Primary Muscles used: Gastrocnemius and soleus.
- Good for: Developing elastic recoil and explosive power.
- When to use during rehab: Late stages
Equipment options
If you’re doing this exercise with a patient in clinic, it’s best to use an exercise bench or plyo box. If the patient is doing this exercise at home, it’s best to use a chair.
Method
- Start by having the patient stand on top of the exercise bench.
- Next, have them stick one foot out in front of them and proceed to drop off the bench.
- As soon as they’ve landed, have them immediately jump up into the air. Essentially they are using the stored energy to generate this second movement.
Escalating Difficulty
If you want to make the exercise more complex, you can add a hurdle into the exercise for the patient to jump over, after their initial drop off the bench. You should be positioning this slightly in front of the area where they are likely to land.
