Most in the least: build explosive leg strength, sans weights

Men's Fitness, May, 2004 by Alwyn Cosgrove

Call this "iso-explosive" squat the greatest-hits version of body-weight exercises. It trains your muscles at both ends of the movement spectrum--from a full static contraction (like when you push against a concrete wall) to explosive speed.

The trick is simple: You pause for four seconds at the bottom of the movement, then jump up. Why? Research shows it takes four seconds to completely eliminate the elasticity from your muscles. So the pause ensures that you don't use any momentum when you jump--it's all muscle power. And since you're jumping as fast and as high as you can, you'll generate maximal force. That means you'll work your muscles harder then ever--without weights.

HERE'S HOW TO DO IT

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart [1]. Keeping your back naturally arched, lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor [2]. Pause for four seconds. Then jump up explosively, as high and as fast as you can [3]. Once your feet hit the floor, lower your body and repeat. Do 3-5 sets of 5-10 repetitions (each as fast as possible with that four-second pause), resting from 60 to 90 seconds between each set.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., is a leading fitness expert and the author of Macrocycle (available at alywncosgrove.com).