Jump Squats

How to do it

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides.
2. Drop quickly into a quarter to half squat by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
3. Swing your arms back as you lower to load momentum for the jump.
4. Explode upward by extending the hips, knees, and ankles all at once, throwing your arms up overhead.
5. Land softly with bent knees and immediately absorb back into the squat position to cushion the impact.
6. Reset for half a second at the bottom and launch into the next rep with the same explosive intent.

Common mistakes

• Landing with locked-out, straight legs, which slams force through the knees and ankles.
• Squatting too deep before the jump, which kills the spring and slows down the movement.
• Letting the knees cave inward on landing, which strains the knees and shifts work off the glutes.
• Slumping the chest forward at the bottom, which makes the launch weak and stresses the lower back.