jumping & plyo

Yes, with jumping & plyo, practice makes perfect :)

I remember when I found Cathe last year, I saw the amazing things she could do; how high she could jump on her step, how far apart her legs were during air jacks, how fast and fluid her tuck jumps were. I said to myself "hmmm, she must be really tall...ya that's why she can do it but I can't :confused:". Nope, I think she's only 5'2, so 1 inch taller than me :eek:. Since then I have mastered all the jumping and plyo moves that I previously struggled with, but Rome was not built in a day! It takes lots of hours of practice to safely and effectively do them. Take your time, don't put pressure on yourself, and in the end it's progress not perfection. You're still doing wonders for your body with the simple act of getting up and moving.

Good luck!

Natasha

This may not be every tall(er) person's experience, but I find those moves harder because I am tall. I think shorter people have a definite advantage. I am 5'7" tall and my legs are very long in porportion to the rest of me. Tuck jumps, burpees, anything that requires the legs to be tucked under the body quickly, are extra tough for me. With shorter legs, I always figured it would be an easier move.

Another example is when doing ab moves that require being on your back and lowering your legs straight to the ground. Even Cathe says in one of her workouts (forget which one) that if your legs are longer, you can keep them bent to ease the stress on your back from lowering the extra length in your legs.

Good job on mastering all those moves! :) I can do a good burpee, but tuck jumps are completely out for me. By the time I get all that leg up behind me, I'm already back down to the ground! ;) And as I discussed above, NO jumping up on the step for me. I learned that lesson the hard way! :(
 
This may not be every tall(er) person's experience, but I find those moves harder because I am tall. I think shorter people have a definite advantage. I am 5'7" tall and my legs are very long in porportion to the rest of me. Tuck jumps, burpees, anything that requires the legs to be tucked under the body quickly, are extra tough for me. With shorter legs, I always figured it would be an easier move.

Another example is when doing ab moves that require being on your back and lowering your legs straight to the ground. Even Cathe says in one of her workouts (forget which one) that if your legs are longer, you can keep them bent to ease the stress on your back from lowering the extra length in your legs.

Good job on mastering all those moves! :) I can do a good burpee, but tuck jumps are completely out for me. By the time I get all that leg up behind me, I'm already back down to the ground! ;) And as I discussed above, NO jumping up on the step for me. I learned that lesson the hard way! :(


You make some valid points. I always thought I was at a disadvantage being vertically challenged :eek:. I guess it ain't so bad being a shorty after all :).

I'm so sorry to hear about your broken wrist :(. I too am no stranger to broken bones and injures. Two years ago I was in a car accident with my DH and daughter (then 18 month of age). We were on the freeway when an SUV going a good 80MPH, rear ended us. I hurt my shoulders, neck and back. I consider myself and my family very blessed and lucky to be alive. Shortly thereafter, I suffered severe anxiety getting into a car, even crossing the street with my daughter in her stroller. I would shake and be paralyzed with fear when getting into a car. It was horrible. I have since then been more comfortable in an automobile, but the fear still haunts me. I know how you feel :(

All the best & take care,
Natasha
 
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JeanneMarie said:
This may not be every tall(er) person's experience, but I find those moves harder because I am tall. I think shorter people have a definite advantage. I am 5'7" tall and my legs are very long in porportion to the rest of me. Tuck jumps, burpees, anything that requires the legs to be tucked under the body quickly, are extra tough for me. With shorter legs, I always figured it would be an easier move.

Another example is when doing ab moves that require being on your back and lowering your legs straight to the ground. Even Cathe says in one of her workouts (forget which one) that if your legs are longer, you can keep them bent to ease the stress on your back from lowering the extra length in your legs.

Good job on mastering all those moves! :) I can do a good burpee, but tuck jumps are completely out for me. By the time I get all that leg up behind me, I'm already back down to the ground! ;) And as I discussed above, NO jumping up on the step for me. I learned that lesson the hard way! :(

Hmmm...interesting. I'm just over 5'8" and I love plyo, but HATE tuck jumps. They're just sooooo hard for me and I get anaerobic really quickly. Same with box jumps. I try not to think about it when I know they're coming up in a routine. I do get through them, but it takes all my energy. Other plyo moves that are supposed to be equally as challenging as tuck jumps are just fine with me. Never thought about it being a function of my height.
 
JeanneMarie said:
This may not be every tall(er) person's experience, but I find those moves harder because I am tall. I think shorter people have a definite advantage. I am 5'7" tall and my legs are very long in porportion to the rest of me. Tuck jumps, burpees, anything that requires the legs to be tucked under the body quickly, are extra tough for me. With shorter legs, I always figured it would be an easier move.

Another example is when doing ab moves that require being on your back and lowering your legs straight to the ground. Even Cathe says in one of her workouts (forget which one) that if your legs are longer, you can keep them bent to ease the stress on your back from lowering the extra length in your legs.

Good job on mastering all those moves! :) I can do a good burpee, but tuck jumps are completely out for me. By the time I get all that leg up behind me, I'm already back down to the ground! ;) And as I discussed above, NO jumping up on the step for me. I learned that lesson the hard way! :(

This is so interesting! That makes sense for a taller person. I am right in the middle at 5'4". My struggle with box jumps and tuck jumps is my larger thighs. They are quite heavy, and it's difficult to pull them up. It has taken tons of practice and persistence to do those moves. Also lowering my legs for ab work is not possible for me without a bent leg. My legs are just too heavy!
 
nkhansen1 said:
This is so interesting! That makes sense for a taller person. I am right in the middle at 5'4". My struggle with box jumps and tuck jumps is my larger thighs. They are quite heavy, and it's difficult to pull them up. It has taken tons of practice and persistence to do those moves. Also lowering my legs for ab work is not possible for me without a bent leg. My legs are just too heavy!

I'm in the same boat: 5'4", extremely heavy legs. So difficult to do long lever ab movements (bike maneuvers are impossible after about 10-15 seconds). So frustrating!
 
UNLVCrjChick said:
I'm in the same boat: 5'4", extremely heavy legs. So difficult to do long lever ab movements (bike maneuvers are impossible after about 10-15 seconds). So frustrating!

I do bike maneuver with my legs at a higher angle, not parallel with the floor. I try to get as low as I can without my lower back popping off the floor, and that's where I stay. You still get a great ab workout. I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one with freakishly dense quads and hamstrings!
 
Ha ha and me its just my large short body. Lol. Just kidding. I am alittle chunky so I figure that ismy problem ..hard to plyo all this up there. Air jacks well I do it but I don't split to far because my knees go in slightly I have a fear of them braking or legs splitting when I come back down. The outside of my knee kinda gets a pain once in a while. That coupled with parinoia can account for me having hard time with it all. I do what I can
As long as my heart rate is there I'm good. That's what its about..
 

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