Pogo Hop
Fast, springy straight-leg hops off the ankles — trains tendon stiffness and elastic recoil, the free speed in your stride.
Also called: pogo hops, pogos, ankle hops
Setup
Stand tall, hands at your sides or on your hips, weight on the balls of the feet.
How to do the Pogo Hop
- Bounce off the ground using the ANKLES — knees nearly straight.
- Ground contact short and snappy, like the floor is hot.
- Stay tall; the hips do not sink between hops.
- Small height, high frequency, quiet spring.
Pogo Hop muscles worked
The Pogo Hop works the calves, achilles and feet.
Common Pogo Hop mistakes
- Bending the knees and turning it into little squat jumps.
- Heavy, slappy landings.
- Doing them exhausted — elasticity work belongs early in a session, fresh.
Scale it
Easier: Slower double-leg bounces or skipping rope.
Harder: Single-leg pogos, or pogo forward/side-to-side.
Pairs well with
Single-Leg Calf Raise
The calf raise on one leg — the standard for building running-specific calf and Achilles capacity, and the base of most Achilles rehab protocols.
Ankle Inversion
Turning the sole of the foot inward against a band - strengthens the tibialis posterior, the arch-support muscle that shin and plantar problems love to blame.
Ankle Mobility
Rocking and rotating the ankle through its range of motion — keeps the joint mobile for running and squatting.
Box Jump
An explosive two-foot jump onto a box with a soft landing — leg power and landing mechanics for stronger, springier strides.
Illustrations: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co)