Legs · Bodyweight
Step Squat Jack
How to do the step 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 with feet together, then jump your feet out wide and drop into a squat, keeping your chest up. Jump your feet back together to stand, and repeat the out-and-down, in-and-up pattern in a continuous bouncing rhythm. Land softly through the balls of your feet.
- 1Quads and glutes absorbing and driving each squat
- 2Soft, springy landings as the feet jump out and in
- 3A steady rhythm with the chest staying tall
Common mistakes
- Letting the knees cave inward as you land in the squat
- Landing heavy and flat-footed
- Rounding the back or dropping the chest at the bottom
Muscles worked
The step squat jack mainly works the quads and glutes, with the calves, hamstrings, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- CalvesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the step 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.