How to do a jump squat

The jump squat adds power to the basic squat: you squat down, then drive up hard enough to leave the floor. It builds explosive leg strength and raises your heart rate fast, which makes it a favourite in home cardio workouts.

Step by step

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out slightly.
2. Squat down until your thighs are close to parallel, chest up, swinging your arms back.
3. Drive through your whole foot and jump straight up, swinging your arms forward and up.
4. Land softly on the balls of your feet, then let your heels down and bend your knees to absorb the landing.
5. Reset your feet and flow into the next squat, or take a breath between reps.

Common mistakes the coach checks

• Knees caving in. Keep your knees tracking over your toes — push them out as you squat.
• Chest dropping. Keep your torso more upright — roughly parallel to your shins at the bottom.
• Too shallow. Squat until your thighs are close to parallel, then jump straight up.
• Not quite deep enough. A deeper squat gives you a bigger, safer jump.

Sets and reps

Start with 3 sets of 6 to 10 jumps with a full minute of rest: with jumping, quality matters more than quantity. End the set when your landings get loud or your squats get shallow.

Make it easier or harder

• Easier: Do regular squats with a fast stand-up and a rise onto your toes instead of a jump.
• Harder: Jump higher, pause for two seconds at the bottom before each jump, or try tuck jumps.

Stay safe

Land quietly with soft knees that point the same way as your toes. Skip jumping if you have knee, ankle or back pain, and jump on a forgiving surface rather than concrete.

Related articles

• How many squats should you do a day?
• 30-day squat challenge for beginners

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• How to do high knees
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• How to do a burpee

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