You can spend a fortune on fancy home fitness equipment - but why bother when the most effective weight to lift is the one that you haul around with you every day? Jumping, hopping and bounding all form part of the technique known as plyometrics, which increases muscle power, strength and explosiveness, mostly by using bodyweight.

Because they produce such impressive improvements in speed and strength, plyometrics exercises are included in the training programmes of most elite athletes, swimmers and footballers. There are other benefits, too. A study at Loughborough University's department of human sciences found that regular hopping was among the best ways for women aged 18 to 45 to improve their bone density.

Some of the moves are high-impact, so they are not recommended if you have weak knee or hip joints. But for a simple way to boost strength, here's how to get started:

Bounding upstairs: take two steps at a time - this is a useful way to work on both the vertical and horizontal aspects of the running action.

Drop jumping: stand on a raised platform or box about 20cm high. Drop to the ground (don't jump), then, with as much explosive power as you can muster, jump upwards and forwards as high as you can. Repeat ten times.

Skipping: The US National Institute of Health claims that skipping burns more calories (70-100 in tenminutes) than any other popular exercise except running. Done regularly, it also builds bone density in the hips and muscle power in the legs. Start with a 1:3 skipping-to-rest ratio - so if you skip for five minutes, rest for 15, then do five minutes of skipping again.

Lateral hops: place an object (such as a small cone) that is 15-20cm high on the ground. Hop from right to left over the cone 15 times. Then repeat left to right.