Shoulders · Bodyweight
Punching Jack
How to do the punching jack, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start standing with feet together, then jump your feet out wide as you throw alternating punches straight out in front of you. Jump your feet back together and keep a steady rhythm to drive your heart rate up.
- 1Your heart rate climbing with each jump and punch
- 2Light, springy contact through the balls of your feet
- 3Your shoulders and core driving each punch
Common mistakes
- Landing flat-footed or with stiff knees
- Hunching your shoulders up toward your ears
- Losing rhythm or letting your form get sloppy as you tire
Muscles worked
The punching jack works the calves, front delts, triceps, upper abs, obliques, quads, glutes, side delts, and adductors.
- CalvesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper ChestMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Rear DeltsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the punching jack 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 shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.