Legs · Bodyweight
Squat Star Jack
How to do the squat star jack, 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
Start standing, then drop into a quarter squat and explode up into a star jump, spreading your arms and legs wide in the air. Land softly back into the squat with bent knees to absorb the impact, then immediately spring into the next rep.
- 1Explosive drive through your quads and glutes on the jump up
- 2Full body stretching wide into the star shape at the top
- 3Soft, controlled landing as your knees bend to absorb impact
Common mistakes
- Landing with stiff, straight legs
- Letting your knees cave inward on takeoff or landing
- Collapsing your chest forward in the squat
Muscles worked
The squat star jack mainly works the quads, glutes, and calves, with the hamstrings, lower abs, side delts, adductors, and hip flexors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- CalvesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the squat star 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.