The one type of exercise a trainer wants every woman over 40 to try—and you can start sitting down

If you haven’t jumped since you were in the school playground or you’ve been cautiously avoiding it, maybe it’s time to reconsider.

“The first thing that goes as we age is actually power, not strength. You lose that ability to jump,” says personal trainer Angie Wilkinson, aka the Strength Queen.

Jump training is also an effective way to look after your bones, because it can stimulate bone-building and improve density.

“Our bone density is highest at about 30 and then after that it’s declining. It [the decline] tends to accelerate in menopause because of the lack of oestrogen.”

One of Wilkinson’s favorite exercises for introducing impact is the pogo jump (or pogo hop), where you perform rapid bounces as if you’re on a pogo stick.

Unlike a conventional jump where you might focus on cushioning your landing, Wilkinson explains that the impact created in a pogo jump is intentional.

But you don’t need to launch straight into pogo jumps, especially if you haven’t jumped in a while or find jumping too strenuous on your pelvic floor.

You can work up to it with this five-level, beginner-friendly progression plan.

The moves

1. Seated foot taps
2. Marching
3. Stepping
4. Small hops
5. Pogo jumps

1. Seated foot taps

Sets: 2-3 Time: 30-45sec

• Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair or stool with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Raise both heels and tap the balls of your feet rapidly on the floor.
• Build up to a fast and light double tap.
• Keep your core engaged and chest upright—avoid hunching forward.

Form tips: Build a steady, comfortable rhythm rather than rushing—this is about getting your feet and lower legs used to quick, repeated movement. Breathe naturally and steadily throughout.

When to progress: If you can keep a steady rhythm for 45 seconds without your legs fatiguing or your form breaking down, you're ready to move on to marching.

2. Marching

Sets: 2-3 Time: 30-45sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the back of a sturdy surface lightly for balance if needed.
• Raise one knee toward hip height, then lower it and repeat on the other side.
• Build up to a steady marching rhythm.
• Keep your chest lifted and avoid leaning back as you raise each knee.

Form tips: Let your arms move naturally as if you are walking briskly. Keep your breathing steady and rhythmic.

When to progress: When you can march at a good pace with control and without holding onto anything for balance, you're ready for stepping.

3. Stepping

Sets: 2-3 Time: 30-45sec each side

• Stand in front of a sturdy step or low platform.
• Place one foot onto the step.
• Step up, pressing through your heel.
• Bring the other foot onto the step.
• Step back down one foot at a time.
• Alternate your leading foot each time, keeping your movements slow and intentional.

Form tips: Exhale as you step up, inhale as you step down—avoid holding your breath.

When to progress: Once stepping up and down feels controlled, with no wobbling or needing to hold on to anything for balance, you're ready for small hops.

4. Small hops

Sets: 2-3 Time: 30-45sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand on your right foot, with your left knee bent and left foot elevated.
• Hop onto your left foot, lifting your right foot and bringing your right knee up.
• Alternate feet and repeat.

Form tips: Avoid over-cushioning your landing—feeling the impact travel through your foot and leg stimulates your bones, whereas a soft landing absorbs the force away. Keep your breathing continuous, exhaling every few jumps. Rest as needed between small sets, this is about quality, not speed.

When to progress: When your hops feel light, your landing is controlled and you can maintain your form without any pain or discomfort, you're ready to try pogo jumps. Pogo jumps are a natural progression if you can do all four stages comfortably and with good control.

5. Pogo jumps

Sets: 2-3 Time: 10-15sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, legs engaged and your knees slightly bent.
• Bounce continuously on the balls of your feet, using your ankles to drive the movement.
• Aim for a fast, light skipping motion.

Form tips: Land with control but let the impact travel through your foot and leg to stimulate your bones. Breathe out with each landing or every couple of jumps—avoid holding your breath. Keep your core braced throughout, and stop if you feel any joint discomfort, this move should feel springy not jarring.

Wilkinson says: “Once you’re consistently doing pogo jumps, research on jump training suggests aiming for around 20 to 50 jumps a day, three to four days a week, though this can be built up gradually and split across the day.

“To start, try 10-15 seconds of continuous jumping for two or three rounds, resting fully between rounds, and build up from there.

“Where possible, break jumps into smaller clusters with short rests—around 30 seconds—between rounds, as this is more effective for bone health than doing them in one long, unbroken set.

“Bone cells become less responsive to continuous loading, and brief rest periods between sets help restore that responsiveness.”

When to progress: There's no need to rush any stage—some people are happy to stay at the small hops or pogo jumps stage long term.

“Or you can progress onto single-leg pogo jumps. Impact-loading like this is one of the exercise categories most strongly linked to supporting bone health as we age, though everyone's starting point and pace should be individual.”