Legs · Bodyweight
Jump Squat
How to do the jump squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat, then drive explosively through your feet and jump off the ground. Land softly with bent knees and reset for the next rep.
- 1Quads and glutes firing to launch you upward
- 2A controlled squat down before each explosive jump
- 3A soft landing absorbed through the hips and knees
Common mistakes
- Letting your knees collapse inward on landing
- Landing hard with locked, straight legs
- Rounding your back as you descend
Muscles worked
The jump squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, calves, and lower back assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the jump squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.