Nathan Orenstein

When people hear "stiffness", they usually think it's a bad thing.

But when it comes to tendons, a certain amount of stiffness is actually really important.

Think of your Achilles tendon like a spring. Every time your foot hits the ground, it stores energy. As you push off, it releases that energy to help propel you forwards.

The better a tendon is at storing and releasing energy (holding its form and not lengthening significantly) , the more efficient activities like running, jumping and changing direction become.

That's where pogo hops come in.

The aim isn't to jump as high as possible. Instead, think about being quick off the ground and letting the ankle and Achilles do the work. Short ground contact times, nice and springy.

Here's one way I might progress them:

Band-assisted double leg pogos A good starting point. The band takes some load off and helps people get comfortable with the movement.

Band-assisted switch pogos Still assisted, but now we're introducing alternating legs and a bit more coordination.

Double leg pogos Removing the band increases the demand on the calf-Achilles complex and the tendon's ability to store and release energy.

Switch pogos Probably the most running-specific variation here. Higher demands on the tendon, greater single-leg loading and shorter ground contact times.

The goal isn't to rush through the progressions. The goal is to find the variation that challenges the tendon without excessively flaring it up, then gradually build from there.

It's a simple exercise that has shown really strong benefits for runners and running athletes or people who just want functioning legs!