How many sets and reps of the jump squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Do 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 6 reps with close to a minute of rest, since jump height should stay high throughout the set. Once you are comfortable, pair a set right after a heavy squat for a contrast effect.

How do you make the jump squat easier or harder?

To make it easier, shrink the range to a quarter squat and jump for less height. To make it harder, hold light dumbbells at your sides, add a pause at the bottom of each rep, or jump onto a low box.

What is the jump squat good for and when should you skip it?

It is the standard drill for repeated, cyclic lower-body power and pairs naturally with heavy squats in contrast training. It is a poor substitute for building raw squat strength, since it trains speed off a lighter load, and a poor choice for anyone whose knees are not yet comfortable absorbing repeated landings.

Intermediate

Jump Squat

The jump squat converts the familiar squat pattern into a power movement by asking you to leave the ground at the top. It is the go-to drill for repeated, cyclic lower-body power and pairs well with heavy squats in a contrast set. Keep the reps crisp and stop the set the moment your jumps lose height.

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

How to do it

1
Stand with feet shoulder-width and toes turned slightly out.
2
Descend into a quarter to half squat while swinging the arms back.
3
Explode upward, extending hips, knees, and ankles fully to jump.
4
Reach full extension in the air with the body straight.
5
Land softly in the same squat position, letting the hips and knees bend to absorb impact.
6
Flow straight into the next rep or reset, keeping the chest tall throughout.

Tips

Absorb each landing by sitting back into the hips rather than catching it with stiff knees.
Keep the torso upright; folding forward turns it into a good morning under load.
Prioritize jump height and clean landings over rep count.

Variations

Common mistakes

The torso pitches forward out of the squat on the way down, turning the descent into a loaded good morning instead of a clean squat.
Landing with locked, straight knees instead of sinking back into the squat sends the shock into the joints instead of the muscles absorbing it.
Once jump height starts dropping late in a set, most people keep grinding out the planned reps instead of calling it there.
Turning the feet out wide at takeoff to feel more stable trades power output for a stance the hips were not set up to jump from.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the jump squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Do 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 6 reps with close to a minute of rest, since jump height should stay high throughout the set. Once you are comfortable, pair a set right after a heavy squat for a contrast effect.
How do you make the jump squat easier or harder?: To make it easier, shrink the range to a quarter squat and jump for less height. To make it harder, hold light dumbbells at your sides, add a pause at the bottom of each rep, or jump onto a low box.
What is the jump squat good for and when should you skip it?: It is the standard drill for repeated, cyclic lower-body power and pairs naturally with heavy squats in contrast training. It is a poor substitute for building raw squat strength, since it trains speed off a lighter load, and a poor choice for anyone whose knees are not yet comfortable absorbing repeated landings.

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