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

Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, but stop the set the moment your knees stop reaching the height they hit early on, since that is the real sign of fatigue here. Add reps only once your landings stay quiet and stay on the same spot the whole set.

How do you make the tuck jump easier or harder?

To make it easier, drop the knee height and focus on quick, light contacts without much air time. To make it harder, drive the knees higher and shorten each ground contact, or add reps while still landing on the same spot every time.

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

It builds explosive hip flexion and quick, reactive ground contacts that carry over to general athleticism. It is a poor choice for anyone with cranky knees on repeated landings, and a poor conditioning tool for high volume, since form falls apart the moment fatigue sets in.

Intermediate

Tuck Jump

The tuck jump builds explosive hip flexion and quick, reactive ground contacts on top of the usual jumping muscles. Because you drive the knees up hard, the hip flexors and lower abs get real work alongside the quads and glutes. Keep the reps rhythmic and light on the feet rather than grinding for maximum height.

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

How to do it

1
Stand tall with feet hip-width and arms relaxed at your sides.
2
Dip into a shallow quarter squat to load the legs.
3
Jump straight up and forcefully drive both knees toward your chest.
4
Reach the hands down to lightly tap the knees at the top if you can.
5
Extend the legs back down in time to land on the balls of the feet.
6
Absorb softly and rebound into the next jump with minimal pause.

Tips

Land toward the same spot you left; drifting forward or back means you are losing control.
Keep contacts quick and springy rather than sinking into a deep squat each time.
Stop the set when your knees stop reaching full height, since fatigue ruins the pattern.

Variations

Common mistakes

The knees stop coming up as high once fatigue creeps in, but the set often keeps running as if nothing changed.
Drifting forward with each landing instead of staying on the same spot loads the hips and knees with forward momentum they were not braced for.
Sinking into a deep squat between jumps instead of staying light and springy turns quick reactive contacts into slow, separate jumps.
The arms hang idle instead of helping snap the knees up, leaving speed on the table that a quick pull down would add.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the tuck jump should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, but stop the set the moment your knees stop reaching the height they hit early on, since that is the real sign of fatigue here. Add reps only once your landings stay quiet and stay on the same spot the whole set.
How do you make the tuck jump easier or harder?: To make it easier, drop the knee height and focus on quick, light contacts without much air time. To make it harder, drive the knees higher and shorten each ground contact, or add reps while still landing on the same spot every time.
What is the tuck jump good for and when should you skip it?: It builds explosive hip flexion and quick, reactive ground contacts that carry over to general athleticism. It is a poor choice for anyone with cranky knees on repeated landings, and a poor conditioning tool for high volume, since form falls apart the moment fatigue sets in.

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