How many reps of the frog jump should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 continuous jumps, resetting your stance between sets rather than trying to hold a fixed time. Increase the count once every landing in the set stays soft and controlled, not just the first few.

How do I make the frog jump easier or harder?

Stand fully upright and reset between each hop to make it easier while the landing mechanics are still new. To make it harder, chain the jumps together without standing up between them, or increase the distance covered on each hop.

What is the frog jump good for, and when is it a poor choice?

It delivers a relentless lower-body power and conditioning stimulus from the glutes, quads, and adductors, since you never fully stand up between reps. It is a poor choice for anyone with knee pain, given the deep squat depth and repeated landing impact on every single hop.

Intermediate

Frog Jump

The frog jump keeps you in a low, wide squat and hops you forward again and again, so the glutes, quads, and adductors deliver a burst of power and then absorb the landing on every rep. Because you never stand fully upright between jumps, it becomes a relentless conditioning and lower-body power drill. Keep the reps springy and stop when your landings stop being controlled.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Quads
Type: Cardio, Plyometric
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Browse by movement: Squat

How to do it

1
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and toes turned out a little.
2
Squat down deep, bringing the hands toward the floor between the legs.
3
Explode forward and slightly up, extending the hips, knees, and ankles.
4
Swing the arms forward to help drive the jump.
5
Land softly back in the deep squat, absorbing the impact through the hips and knees.
6
Rebound straight into the next jump, keeping the chest up and the spine neutral.

Tips

Sit the hips back and land soft in the squat rather than crashing down on stiff legs.
Keep the chest lifted and the back flat; rounding forward as you fold into the squat strains the low back.
Push the knees out in line with the toes on both the launch and the landing to protect the joint.

Variations

Common mistakes

The jumps travel more up than forward, so the distance covered shrinks even though the effort per rep stays just as high.
The hands never actually reach toward the floor between the legs, so the squat depth quietly shortens on every single rep.
Bouncing straight from one landing into the next jump without resetting stance width lets the feet drift closer together rep after rep.
The arms stop swinging forward after the first couple of jumps, so the legs alone are left to generate both the power and the reach.
Holding the breath through each explosive rep instead of exhaling on the jump adds tension right when the hips need to move freely.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the frog jump should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 continuous jumps, resetting your stance between sets rather than trying to hold a fixed time. Increase the count once every landing in the set stays soft and controlled, not just the first few.
How do I make the frog jump easier or harder?: Stand fully upright and reset between each hop to make it easier while the landing mechanics are still new. To make it harder, chain the jumps together without standing up between them, or increase the distance covered on each hop.
What is the frog jump good for, and when is it a poor choice?: It delivers a relentless lower-body power and conditioning stimulus from the glutes, quads, and adductors, since you never fully stand up between reps. It is a poor choice for anyone with knee pain, given the deep squat depth and repeated landing impact on every single hop.

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