Tuck jumps/power jacks???

K

KimDW

Cathlete
I was doing Imax last night. Does anyone else have a hard time doing those tuck jumps and those power jacks (not sure if that's what they are called)? My feet barely come off the ground. Cathe's legs are so far apart on those jacks and her feet come off the ground really far on the tuck jumps. I am so envious of her. It all looks so easy when she does it. She's in such great shape. I've been doing step for at least 8 years and am still clumsy on some things. Another question. Do you guys think that they take breaks while filming? I'm always having to modify or get a drink of water.

Kimbra
 
I can't quite get the height OR the breadth (sp?) of abduction Cathe gets on the tuck jumps or the airborne jacks, but I'm better than I used to be on those. Two of my alltime favorite torture moves, and so fiendishly simple.

Good question about how they handle hydration during filming. That studio must be a million degrees farenheit with all those lights. And what I can't understand is how they are able to wear those long leggings during cardio filming. I'd ignite like a match if I tried that in a normal temperature environment.

A-Jock
 
LOL I look like a flailing idiot whenever I do either. I don't care though--they're super intense moves & I know I'm burning fat whether I'm 2 feet off the floor or 2 inches.
 
Kimbra,

I improved dramatically with those two moves once I began aggressively strengthening my entire core. Both of those moves require strong abs and lower back. And of course strengthening the legs is always going to benefit explosive moves like that.

Fun workout, huh? :)
Sandra
 
I love doing tuck jumps. However, I do about twice as many as Cathe ~ since I'm not going up NEARLY as high, my 2 are about 1 of hers.
Susan C.M.
 
Dont forget that Cathe was a gymnast in her early career, so she has better flexibility than most. For a lot of us I suspect that the height and breadth we achieve(or fail to achieve!!!) has a lot to do with innate flexibility rather than sheer brute force.

And we have also seen pictures posted of the filming process and we know that the crew do not do the entire workout without breaks. The crew, working under studio lights in 90+ degree temperatures, would soon dehydrate if they did not take water breaks. Personally, I refuse to believe that these women are that superhuman. In the Summer, I have no a/c and work out in temps similar to those under which Cathe and crew film, and so I know none of the Imaxes are possible wwithout several 16 ounce glasses of water. And, while it would add to the realism tosee cathe drinking, it should would waste time and be boring after a while!

Clare
 
>Dont forget that Cathe was a gymnast in her early career, so
>she has better flexibility than most.

I think she also has a lot of fast twitch fibers.

I can't tuck jump, unless I do it on a rebounder!
 
Hi Kimbra,

When I first started doing Cathe cardio, I did the tuck jumps and air-born jacks at a slightly slower pace than Cathe and crew so I could try and get a little higher. It worked pretty well - I'd usually only be maybe one or two jumps/jacks behind.

I used to hate tuck jumps, but now I love 'em!

HTH
 
Some days are better than others, but I am NEVER close to jumping as high or wide as Cathe. I was watching Rhonda in Imax 3 and, since we have similar body types, it was heartening for me to see her not jumping as high as Cathe either. Jai, on the other hand, amazes me.

And don't forget, the floor Cathe uses is much springier than what most of us have at home. Yeah, that's why they can jump so high. The floor.:p
 
It's pretty impressive to see on Kickmax when all 3 of them are reaching the same height and in unison like that. It's all impressive though.

Seeing that yesterday while I was struggling through it, barely off the floor, I thought WOW!! I only have the Hardcore Extreme DVD (so far...)
 
Is it the springs in the floor or in their shoes?!?

Tuck jumps I think are harder because you have to hoist up those heavy legs way up. I start out jumping high, but it gets so hard towards the end of the interval. By the time the last one comes around, I think I'm just slapping my thighs! I think the tuck jumps in Kick Max are just a little easier because you jump three times then tuck. You get a little more spring before you jump. But any way you do it, it's tough stuff!
 
Jai in the HC Series just floors me. Even in the 10th interval in IMAX3 she looks as light on her feet as she did in the warm up. She's like a cat! Even Cathe makes a comment about her smile at the end of IMAX3!

They have a floor with extra give? I didn't know that. My husband sells hardwood floors, I should ask him about the flooring they use! Can we get about 6 square feet of it for the middle of our living room?? :)

Cheers,
Sandra
 
For me the key to the tuck jumps came when I started consistently doing the knee pull in pike combinations on the ball. I do a set of 20 then 2 sets of 10 at least twice a week along with other ab work. I now have no trouble with the tucks, but I can't get nearly as high or wide on the power jacks. Oh well some is better than none...

Tracy
 
While I am nowhere near Cathe's caliber of jumps, I've noticed my tuck jumps noticeably improved when I realized they are really two separate moves. The vertical jump & the folding of the knees upwards with the heels aiming for the butt. Does that make sense? I have reached pretty good height that way, so I'm pretty impressed.

Now, the first time I did Imax 3, after so many jumps, power scissors , etc., my legs felt like dead weight, so by the time I got to tuck jumps, I had little strength to bring my knees up. I sucked.

You know what else I discovered since receiving HC? I've been doing the plie squats wrong all along. While I jumped with a wide stance as high as possible, I really didn't bring my inner thighs together. So when I realized this, I tried it and managed to crank out a few the right way. I felt myself go higher vertically. However, I was only able to do a few before I reverted to my usual "plie squats." I need work with these.

About the hydration thing, your body acclimates itself to workouts in that type of temp, I think. I personally agree because I'm a constant beverage drinker (dry mouth, sinuses) but when I go for runs in this Texas heat, I can survive my hour run without dieing.

Marla:7
 
I hurt my back doing tuck jumps during my Power 90X days, so I was very hesitant to do these. I already have cervical disc herniations and have to watch my impact while exercising. I didn't want to be left out of the fun, so I tried them. If anyone has back problems, remember to keep your abs held tight and keep them tight while you tuck your legs. Try to land as softly as possible on the floor (I know -- impossible -- My husband probably thought I was coming thru into the basement this morning). Anyway, I started out slowly with these and I'll gradually build up to doing more and more. So far, so good.......fingers crossed.

The first week I discovered Cathe, I did Circuit Max....high intensity all the way thru and had horrid back pain that evening and the rest of the week. :-(
 
Well I am glad I am not the only one either. I can't jump as high or as wide, but I know I am off the floor and that is all that matters to me. My legs just don't come up as high as Cathe's or alot of the workouts.

Charlotte~~
 
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