A tuck jump is what is known as a plyometric exercise. Plyometrics are special moves that are done to increase power, speed, and explosiveness all in one exercise. This type of training is most often done by athletes who are looking to increase a vertical jump or speed. Tuck jumps are just not for athletes though, as they do have benefits that can help the average person. They are a good way to build up strength in your legs and burn tons of calories in a short period of time.

Here is how to do a tuck jump:

1. Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-length apart and your arms straight out in front of you.
2. Bend your knees so that you lower your body into the squatting position. Your arms should still be straight out in front of your body.
3. As soon as you reach the bottom of the squatting position, you need to explode up so that you make your jump as high as possible.
4. Once your feet are off the ground, quickly pull your knees into your chest. When you are at the highest point in your jump, your knees should be touching your chest.
5. As you starting going down towards the floor, un-tuck your knees and land softly on the ground with knees slightly bent. Your arms should always be in front of you.
6. Immediately go back into the squat position and continue with the tuck jumps. Do as many reps as possible. Try to aim for at least 10-15 at a time to begin with.

If you are a beginner to exercising, you can make tuck jumps easier by not tucking your knees to your chest and simply doing squat jumps instead. Then you can work your way up to the tuck jumps once you have been able to increase your vertical jump and stamina.

Be sure that you are jumping as high as you can on each of the tuck jumps. Jumping only slightly off the floor is not going to improve your jump or speed. If you want to get a cardiovascular exercise in with tuck jumps then try continuous tuck jumps for at least 1-2 minutes and see how high your heart rate gets.

Tuck jumps can be added to a circuit training routine or a cardiovascular workout, but always be sure that you are properly warmed up before attempting this exercise.

Don't have time for the gym? Don't worry about it! You can burn a ton of calories from the comforts of home, and you don't even need to stock up on the latest workout videos or fancy home gym equipment. If you spend just a couple of hours each week doing house chores, and keep up a steady pace, you can turn your house cleaning routine into a killer workout. This really does mean that you can forget about the gym bag (for now, anyway) and stay in great shape.

From gardening to vacuuming, take a look at these calorie-burning averages for common household activities (numbers are based on a woman who is 5 ft 5" tall and weighs about 160 pounds:

Vacuuming: 194 calories per hour
Washing the car by hand: 234 calories per hour
Mopping the floor: 194 calories per hour
Cleaning windows: 180 calories per hour
Walking up and down the stairs (carrying laundry, hauling groceries, etc): 516 calories per hour
Ironing: 113 calories per hour
Putting up wallpaper: 133 calories per hour
Gardening or weeding: 288 calories per hour

Keep in mind that these are only base calorie-burning calculations. Your actual burn rate will vary depending on your height and weight, and whether you are a male or female (yes, men can burn calories doing housework too). And, there are some ways to ramp up the calorie burn; you can do everything with a couple of ankle weights, make a few tasks more challenging, and turn up the music so you can jive to your favorite tunes and push yourself just a little bit harder.

If you're doing the dishes, wash and dry just one dish at a time so you're adding more activity to the routine. When you're mowing the lawn, pick the push mower over the rider to get a great upper and lower body workout. If you're cooking or baking up a storm in the kitchen, make sure you're making everything from scratch. Kneading the dough, chopping vegetables, and whisking batter will give your upper body a great workout, and help you burn off a few extra calories within minutes!

You've heard about the health and fitness benefits of swimming, but what if you could also jump into the pool for an aerobic workout? Walking in water or treading water for several minutes at a time are great ways to build stamina and endurance; aquatic exercises actually help to burn lots of calories without over-stressing your muscles.

If you never feel like you have enough energy to work out, you may be a strong candidate for a water-based routine. Here are some of the top health and fitness benefits of walking in water:

1. Water walking helps slow down the aging process. The cleansing effects of being in water and getting a workout by doing continuous aerobic activities can have many benefits on your skin. You can release toxins from inside out and may even slow down the aging process as a result.

2. Resistance training is much easier in water. If you're stuck in a fitness rut, you can dive into the pool for a much-needed resistance workout. Aquatic workouts use the weight of the water as resistance, which means your muscles have to work nearly twice as hard to perform each movement. Plus, you won't 'feel' this workout like you would with a weight training routine at the gym.

3. Improved muscle tone within weeks. The invigorating routines used in water aerobics will revive untoned muscles and help you get stronger within a few short weeks. Just make sure you're consistent with the workouts to make the most of each session.

4. Better sleep. Water exercises will increase your heart rate and make you stronger and leaner; the intensive workouts will also help to release stress and reinvigorate your mind and body. This leads to better sleep, so you can start looking forward to a good night's rest.

5. Improved well-being. If you stick with a healthy diet, drink an adequate amount of water each day and keep up with a consistent routine, you'll start to look and feel better in a very short period of time. A balanced diet, staying well-hydrated and getting regular exercise is essential for your health and a positive state of mind.