Legs · Bodyweight
Side Squat Jack
How to do the side squat 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
- Reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start standing tall, then jump your feet wide and drop into a side squat shifting your weight toward one leg. Jump back to center, then repeat to the other side, alternating like a lateral jumping jack. Stay light on your feet and keep your chest up as you shift side to side.
- 1Your glutes and quads loading on each side squat
- 2Your inner thighs stretching as you shift wide
- 3Light, springy footwork on the jumps
Common mistakes
- Letting your knee cave inward on the squat
- Rounding your chest down toward the floor
- Landing stiff instead of absorbing through the legs
Muscles worked
The side squat jack mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, adductors, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the side squat 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 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.