10 Best Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops) Alternatives for Quad Power
If you can’t perform front cone hops, use exercises that preserve rapid knee extension and eccentric control to target the quads. Try jump squats, box jumps, or controlled split-squat step-ups, landing softly on the balls of your feet with knees tracking over toes to emphasize quad activation and reduce knee shear.
Original Exercise: Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops)
How to Perform Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops)
- Set up a row of cones or other small barriers, placing them a few feet apart.
- Stand in front of the first cone with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
- Begin by jumping with both feet over the first cone, swinging both arms as you jump.
- Absorb the impact of landing by bending the knees, rebounding out of the first leap by jumping over the next cone.
- Continue until you have jumped over all of the cones.
Pro Tips
- Category: Plyometrics
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops) Alternatives
1. Clean Pull
71.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- With a barbell on the floor close to the shins, take an overhand or hook grip just outside the legs. Lower your hips with the weight focused on the heels, back straight, head facing forward, chest up, with your shoulders just in front of the bar. This will be your starting position.
- Begin the first pull by driving through the heels, extending your knees. Your back angle should stay the same, and your arms should remain straight and elbows out. Move the weight with control as you continue to above the knees.
- Next comes the second pull, the main source of acceleration for the clean. As the bar approaches the mid-thigh position, begin extending through the hips. In a jumping motion, accelerate by extending the hips, knees, and ankles, using speed to move the bar upward. There should be no need to actively pull through the arms to accelerate the weight; at the end of the second pull, the body should be fully extended, leaning slightly back, with the arms still extended. Full extension should be violent and abrupt, and ensure that you do not prolong the extension for longer than necessary.
2. Double Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean
64.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place two kettlebells between your feet. To get in the starting position, push your butt back and look straight ahead.
- Clean one kettlebell to your shoulder and hold on to the other kettlebell.
- With a fluid motion, lower the top kettlebell while driving the bottom kettlebell up.
3. Alternate Leg Diagonal Bound
64.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Assume a comfortable stance with one foot slightly in front of the other.
- Begin by pushing off with the front leg, driving the opposite knee forward and as high as possible before landing. Attempt to cover as much distance to each side with each bound.
- It may help to use a line on the ground to guage distance from side to side.
- Repeat the sequence with the other leg.
4. Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift With Stepbox Support
63.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
- Place your left foot on a stepbox or elevated surface behind you.
- Keeping your back straight and core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, lowering the dumbbell towards the ground.
- As you lower the dumbbell, simultaneously lift your left leg behind you, maintaining a straight line from head to heel.
- Lower the dumbbell until you feel a stretch in your right hamstring, then return to the starting position.
5. Dumbbell Clean
61.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Bend your knees and lower your hips into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Explosively extend your hips and knees, driving through your heels to jump off the ground.
- As you jump, shrug your shoulders and pull the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, keeping them close to your body.
- Catch the dumbbells at shoulder height, with your elbows pointing forward and your palms facing up.
6. Bodyweight Walking Lunge
61% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips.
- Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips. Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should stay above the front foot.
- Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
- Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg.
7. Cable Deadlifts
60.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Move the cables to the bottom of the towers and select an appropriate weight. Stand directly in between the uprights.
- To begin, squat down be flexing your hips and knees until you can reach the handles.
- After grasping them, begin your ascent. Driving through your heels extend your hips and knees keeping your hands hanging at your side. Keep your head and chest up throughout the movement.
- After reaching a full standing position, Return to the starting position and repeat.
8. Exercise Ball One Legged Diagonal Kick Hamstring Curl
58.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by lying on your back with your legs extended and your heels resting on top of the stability ball.
- Place your arms by your sides for stability.
- Engage your glutes and core muscles to lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
- Bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest, keeping your left leg extended and your foot flexed.
- Kick your right leg diagonally across your body, extending it fully and engaging your hamstrings.
9. Arms Apart Circular Toe Touch (male)
58.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended to the sides.
- Keeping your legs straight, bend forward at the waist and reach down towards your toes with your right hand.
- As you reach down, simultaneously lift your left leg straight up behind you, maintaining balance.
- Return to the starting position and repeat the movement with your left hand reaching towards your toes and your right leg lifting up behind you.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Car Deadlift
58.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- This event apparatus typically has neutral grip handles, however some have a straight bar that you can approach like a normal deadlift. The apparatus can be loaded with a vehicle or other heavy objects such as tractor tires or kegs.
- Center yourself between the handles if you are a strong squatter, or back a couple inches if you are a strong deadlifter. You feet should be about hip width apart. Bend at the hip to grip the handles. With your feet and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and flex the knees.
- Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. As the weight comes up, pull your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward.
- Lower the weight by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.
Why You Might Need a Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops) Alternative
You may substitute front cone hops for several reasons: joint pain, limited space, equipment gaps, or specific training goals. Hops produce high-impact ground reaction forces and rapid stretch-shortening cycles that can aggravate knee or ankle issues; swapping to step-ups or controlled jump squats reduces peak impact while maintaining concentric quad loading. If you lack room for lateral drills, choose sagittal-plane options (box jumps, squat jumps) that replicate knee-dominant mechanics. Technique cue: favor soft, flexed landings and limit knee valgus to protect tissue while keeping quads highly active via deliberate knee extension.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Match the substitute to your goal, constraints, and movement pattern. For power prioritize short ground contact plyometrics (box jumps) and cue explosive triple extension—drive through ankle, knee, and hip. For hypertrophy pick slower, loaded variants (front squats, Bulgarian split squats) with 2–3 second eccentrics to increase quad time under tension; cue controlled descent and full knee extension. If injury limits impact, select step-ups or reverse lunges to maintain quad force without repetitive landing stress. Always monitor pain and scale height, load, or tempo to preserve biomechanics and targeted quadriceps recruitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops) work?
Front cone hops primarily target the quadriceps through rapid knee extension, with the glutes and calves contributing to hip and ankle extension. The hamstrings act eccentrically to decelerate the limb during landing and the movement relies on fast stretch-shortening cycle mechanics (triple extension) for power output.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops)?
Jump squats are the top bodyweight alternative because they preserve explosive knee extension and quad emphasis without lateral demands. Cue: start hip-width, sit back slightly on the descent, then explode up and land softly on the balls of your feet to train the stretch-shortening cycle while minimizing knee shear.
Can I build muscle without doing Front Cone Hops (or Hurdle Hops)?
Yes. Progressive overload through weighted squats, front squats, Bulgarian split squats, or leg press drives quad hypertrophy more reliably than plyometrics. Use full knee extension, controlled eccentric tempos, and gradual load increases to maximally recruit quads while avoiding the high-impact demands of hops.
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