It's also amazing how many squat variations you can come up with using all the different stances. You can usually get a good bodyweight workout with squats. I do a lot of cardio and bodyweight exercises (a good list with muscle groups) like squats, lunges and press-ups. So I don't always use my exercise equipment. Most of the time I watch TV while I am working out.

I follow Jillian Michaels and have achieved great results.

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred is great!

Yes it is great. Now I am doing the ripped in 30 and again it's amazing. 

Hi Amanda, 

I much rather prefer conducting my cardio with body weight exercises as it works as a anarobic work out (like sprints) and if planned right can give you full body work out which can burn more calories over time. However a pet peeve of mine is when people do not concentrate on their work out for two reasons

1. If you are not concentrating on your form you can be reinforcing bad habits that can eventually lead to injury, even if its just body weight.

2. If you can pay attention to anything but your work out, you are not working out to your potential (that may be the old Army side of mine but for instance when I have clients who like to talk more than work, I know that they have reached a personal best and will not see much more improvement if they are not pushed a little harder.

I believe, like running, adding the jumps to the squats is aggressive to your body, especially your knees.

Hi Cat, 

it definitely can be detrimental to your knees if you start without first mastering the regular squat with proper form and technique. For instance you definitely want to cushion your landings by bending your knees and landing on your heels. 

The main difference though, between something like body weight jump squats and something like running is the length of time you are conducting the same movement patterns. It is less likely that you will need to or will do plyometric exercises for the same duration that you would run for (it just wouldn't be necessary). Any exercise done in excess of 20 minutes will start to bring stress to your joints. So yes Jump Squats will give your knees a pounding if you are not ready for them, but try something that is less likely to produce an injury, and try it for less time. 

A good work out for squats is to do Tabatas, so either 10 seconds of squats with 20 seconds rest, or 15/15, or 20/10. Try to complete as many squats as you can while keeping form. Make it a goal to reach 5 minutes at 20 seconds squatting, with 10 second rest. Add jump squats when you feel this is too easy, and even then, you can drop it down to regular squats when you get tired, and/or bring it back to jumps when you can.

I normally do a 20-30 minute home work out... I normally combine squats, lunges, calf raises, jumping jacks and weight lifting.
My brother advises me about which exercises are better to work out that specific muscle and i also check exercises on the internet. I've seen some videos about squats, thought i never saw one adding jumps, hence my doubt about its benefits.

Sounds like you got the right idea for creating your own work outs. The benefits to introducing plyometric exercises like the jump squat are improved vertical jump, muscle strength, joint protection, and building explosive power. However there are risks involvolved if you are not adequatly trained or in shape you should not perform plyometric exercises without consent from your doctor or in view of a professional. I know that sounds like it can be quite serious, but as long as you are in good shape and practice good form, the Jump Squat is an excellent exercise. 

Just remember to land like a "ninja" and you will save your knees.

Land like a ninja?? o.O?

Well, I dont think ill be doing the jumping for now... My main goal is to increase arm strength, that's why i have been lifting but one should not skip leg day, am i right!? :P

Never skip leg day ;)

just a question though, why are you trying to increase just arm strength? In fact, if you want to save on time you can do legs and arms three days a week (total body), building strength and endurance while while getting a cardio work out. My point here is unless you are a body builder looking to compete, there is no need to work a specific muscle group (ie legs) on a given day. When you add circuits to your training you will bring your work outs to another level without adding time to your work outs. 3 x week, 20-30 min (if you plan well 20-30 min can be more than enough time, not including warm up or cool down). 

Of course if you are happy with what you got, something is usually better than nothing.

I started to do rock climbing last summer. Need to use my whole body ofc but mainly my arms because i want to be able to sustain all my body weight on them.

My brother does weight lifting and when i went to meet him during the summer, he became my personal trainer.
I can see improvements and I'm very happy with it but i'm not even close to ready.

Rock Climbing is a great exercise, and there is a lot of information out there regarding the right way to train. Having great upperbody strength is not necessarily going to help you be a better climber. I can recommend a book that can help you prepare "9 out of 10 Climbers make the same mistakes" by dave MacLeod. One thing about climbing is if you are using your upper body to hold your body weight, I dont care who you are, you are not going to last. Most climbers have to have good mobility and core strength.

Good Luck!