How to do Iron Mike

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Difficulty: Hard

Impact Level: High

Target Body Parts: calves, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps

Instructions

Start standing up with your feet at hip width. Also, before you start make sure you have enough clear level floor space in front and behind you to be able to take a step forwards and backwards. Place your hands on behind your head with your elbows out wide to help keep your shoulders back.

Jump forwards with your right leg and backwards with your left leg. Plant your back toes on the floor at hip width and as your toes makes contact with the floor, bend at both knees to lower yourself down into the lunge position. At the bottom of your lunge, your knees should both be bent to approximately 90 degrees.

From the bottom position, push up explosively using both legs, jump and switch your legs stance so that your left leg is forwards and your right leg behind you. Lower down into a lunge on this side and repeat the jump, switch and lunge movement on each side for the duration of the exercise.

Try to keep some sideways width between your feet when in a split stance rather than on one line as if you were on a tight rope. This will make you more balanced. Watch out for your front heal lifting up off the floor, try to keep your heel down and push up out of your heel to return to the standing position. Aim to keep an upright spine.

How to make Iron Mike easier

Build up to this move with our Forward and Rear Lunges and our X Drill Alternate Feet exercises.

How to make Iron Mike more challenging

Once you have mastered this try our X Drill Rotations exercise to really challenge your leg strength, coordination and balance.

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