How To Do Jump Squats Properly? Benefits And Types

Take your squats game to the next level with jump squats. The benefits of jump squats are many. They are a form of plyometric exercise, which means they involve high-intensity movements that help build strength and power at the same time. This powerful exercise targets the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and lower abs. In other words, they are a great lower body exercise. They even help whittle away fat, strengthen the thighs and hips, and improve balance (1), (2), (3). Read on to know how to do jump squats properly, their benefits, and their variations. Scroll down!

Workout Blueprint: Jump Squats

• Frequency: 3-4 times a week
• Benefits: Tone and strengthen the thighs and hips and improve balance
• Equipment Needed: Dumbbells and a box
• Space Required: Small area
• Assistance Required: No
• Who Should Avoid: Anyone who has recently undergone surgery or with poor joint conditions like arthritis.

How To Do Jump Squats Properly

If you are considering doing cardio exercises at home, your routine will greatly benefit from jump squats. However, if you do not do it properly you may get injured. Hence, for an effective and safe jump squat session, you need to keep a few things in mind. To begin, stand in front of a full-length mirror. Bend your knees a little, making sure that your spine remains upright. Now follow the guide below for detailed instructions on doing this exercise correctly.

Step By Step Guide To Do Jump Squats

via GIPHY

1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands by your side, chest up, shoulders rolled back, chin up, and look ahead.
2. Push your buttocks out, bend your knees, and squat down or assume a sitting position. Your knees should not overshoot your toes. Bend slightly forward to prevent your lower back from curving and getting hurt.
3. Bring your palms together as you squat down.
4. While getting up, propel your body upwards and jump. Throw your hands down to generate force.
5. Land gently on the floor and squat down while maintaining a stable center of gravity. This will protect your knees and improve your balance. At the same time, bring your palms together, making sure your knees are not caved in (this causes injury) and not overshooting your toes.
6. Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions each.

Quick Tip

As you land, ensure you distribute your weight evenly on your feet to avoid straining your toes or heels.

Along with following these steps, there are numerous mistakes you need to avoid to prevent injuries. Check them out below.

Common Mistakes To Avoid While Doing Jump Squats

Here are some common mistakes you should never make while doing jump squats:

• Never jump straight into jump squats without warming up, as it may lead to muscle strain or injury.
• Avoid doing jump squats on hard surfaces, as this may increase the impact on your knees.
• Do not round or arch your back, as this may put pressure on the back and spine, respectively.
• If you are a beginner, avoid doing too many reps. Instead, start with fewer repetitions and focus on perfecting your form. As you build some strength, you may increase the number of repetitions and the intensity of the exercise.

If you do the exercise correctly, you will notice jump squats tone many muscle groups. Check out the section below to know more about them.

Muscles Worked While Doing Jump Squats

Jump squats primarily target the lower body and engage various muscle groups. These include:

• Quadriceps: These muscles help extend the knees during the upward jump phase.
• Hamstrings: They play a role in bending the knees and extending the hips.
• Glutes: They are activated when you extend the hips during the upward motion of the jump and the landing phase.
• Calves: They help you push off from the balls of your feet and propel you into the air.
• Core: They help stabilize your torso during the squat and jump and help you maintain proper form.
• Adductors: They help stabilize your legs during the squatting and landing phases.

Adding jumping squats to your leg and glutes exercise routine can help you reap the benefits listed in the next section.

Jump Squat Benefits

Jump squats have a variety of health benefits. They help build and tone the calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, and also improve core stability. They have other benefits as well. We have listed some important ones here.

1. Burn Calories And Fat

Jump squats can help increase your metabolic rate, which is the rate at which the body burns calories at rest. Doing 30 jump squats burns about 100 calories, depending on your current weight and intensity of the exercise. Many women tend to accumulate fat in the lower body, which is linked to many health issues. Adding jump squats to your routine will help in calorie burning and shedding fat from the lower body.

2. Tone The Butt, Legs, And Ab Muscles

Jump squats are a plyometricⁱ  A type of exercise involving fast and repeated stretching movements within short periods to increase muscle strength and flexibility. version of normal squats. This means they combine both strength and cardio and include explosive movements (the jump), which increases the overall intensity of the workout. Thus, this high-intensity exercise helps tone the leg and butt muscles.

3. Maintain Mobility And Balance

Mobility and balance are crucial for movement, day-to-day tasks, and a better quality of life. Jumping not only increases mobility but also leads to proper and enhanced balance. As you get older, your leg strength decreases. Squats can help curb the natural weakening of these muscle groups. They help maintain motor balance and help improve brain-to-muscle communication.

Note: Avoid doing jump squats if you have a leg injury or are recovering from one.

4. Boost Sports Performance

Scientific studies have concluded that squatting can help improve athletic performance, specifically in endurance exercises

(2). This is why jumping squats are a part of most athletic training sessions.

5. Improve Health

Exercising has many health benefits. It helps improve glucose regulation, lipid metabolismⁱ  A process of breaking down fats as a source of energy and creating new fats for regulating hormones in the body. , and insulin sensitivityⁱ  Sensitivity of the body cells to insulin, a hormone facilitating the transport of glucose from the bloodstream to the cells. (4), (5). High-intensity cardio exercises like jump squats help reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertensionⁱ  A medical condition where the pressure of the blood is high on the artery walls, causing headaches and dizziness. , obesity, and diabetes (6).

6. Help With Waste Removal

Jump squats are a cardio exercise that improves body fluid circulation and increases sweating

. These two actions help deliver nutrients to tissues, organs, and glands, and remove waste from the body (7).

7. Help Improve Bone Health

Jump squats can help improve bone density and aid bone health.

Apart from regular jump squats, here are a few variations or other types of jump squats to improve your muscle endurance and tone, mobility, and balance.

Types Of Squat Jumps

1. Weighted Squats

1. Hold a pair of dumbbells while keeping your elbows bent and palms facing each other. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Squat down.
3. Launch your body upwards. Lift your hands above your head as you jump in the air.
4. Try to land in the same position. Bring your arms back to the starting position.
5. Do 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions each.

2. Box Jump Squats

1. Place a stable table or exercise box about 1-2 feet away from you.
2. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders rolled back, and chest and chin up.
3. Squat down a little to propel your body into a jump.
4. Land on the box, squat, and jump back down on the floor.

3. Single Leg Jump Squats

1. Stretch one leg out in the front.
2. Stretch your hands in the front, too.
3. Squat as low as you can.
4. You can use a piece of furniture for balance.

4. Frog Squats

1. You need to do these the same way you do burpees.
2. As you squat down, jump and land on your feet with your hands in the front.
3. Jump back up and repeat.
4. Continue to stretch down and back up similar to the way you do burpees.

5. Jumping Jack Squats

1. Start doing jumping jacks.
2. As your arms go down, squat down.
3. As your arms go up, your body should squat up.

6. Prisoner Squats

1. Keep your hands behind your head.
2. Push your hips back while you bend.
3. Keep your shoulders and arms straight.
4. Lower your body and squat.

7. Bicep Curl Squats

1. Perform any of the above squats with weights.
2. Use weights that you can lift comfortably. Always make sure that you can maintain proper balance without the weights. That way, you won’t hurt yourself when doing any of these squats with weights.

8. Uneven Squats

1. Place a plank at a little height to perform this squat jump exercise.
2. Place one foot on the floor and the other on the plank.
3. Do your regular squats.
4. Make sure that you balance your weight evenly.
5. Do not stress the knee when you are jumping up and squatting down.
6. If you have any problem doing this, do not attempt this squat.

9. Wall Squats

These are regular squats done against a wall.

1. Do the regular squats, but instead of pushing your hips out, make sure that your back is straight against a wall.
2. Do not bend lest you hurt yourself.
3. Repeat without sliding up and down the wall.

Quick Tip

Perform wall squats for a minimum of 10 mins daily to reap maximum benefits. Aim for 2-3 sets of 10 reps with 30-sec rest after each rep.

10. Regular Squats

1. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. With your feet firmly on the ground, push your hips out while lowering yourself slowly.
3. Make sure that your toes are pointing forward, knees are in the front, and your head and shoulders are straight.
4. Rise slowly.
5. Repeat the same.

Jihyun Yoo, a blogger, shares her experience after doing 100 squats daily for three months: “I used to go to the gym every other day. After squats, it makes me work out more. Sometimes I do 300–500 squats (i).” She adds, “I’ve been keeping track of my workout record with my cell phone and smartwatch. I’ve lost weight and [my] activities have increased. I’m getting in good shape.”

11. Monkey Squats

1. Stand with your legs a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Reach for one knee or toe (depending on how flexible you are) as you lower into a squat.
3. Holding the toe, squat as low as you can.
4. Slowly rise and release the toe.
5. Make sure that you never pull or push the toe or knee.

12. Sumo Squats

1. Keep your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
2. Make sure that your feet are not so far apart that you lose your balance.
3. Hold a heavy weight with both your hands and perform a squat.
4. Remember to keep your upper body straight as you bend your knees.
5. Lower yourself as much as you can.

Infographic: 6 Benefits Of Doing Jump Squats

Our lower body strength diminishes with age, leading to backaches, leg aches, and fatigue. Since the lower body supports the entire weight of the upper body, it is essential to maintain and build its strength. Cue jump squats! They are easy to do and help maintain speed and mobility, apart from offering other physical benefits. Check out the infographic below to find out the top benefits of this powerful exercise.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Do squats make your butt bigger?

Squats and proper nutrition can help make your butt more shapely and rounder. Here’s a list of foods, exercises, and tips to get a bigger butt.

Are jump squats safe?

Yes, jump squats are safe. Make sure you wear good shoes. Avoid jump squats if you have a leg injury or are recovering from an injury or surgery.

Do jump squats slim your thighs?

Just doing jump squats will not help you get slim thighs. You must take care of what you eat and do cardio 3 days a week and strength training twice a week.

Are jump squats bad for knees?

Jump squats can injure your knees if you land hard, do not wear shoes that have shock-absorbing properties, or if your posture is bad. Your knees should not overshoot your toes and they should point diagonally out.

What muscles do jump squats work?

Jump squats work on glutes, hamstrings, quads, lower abs, and calves.

Is it OK to jump squats every day?

Yes, it is a great exercise to strengthen your lower body. Couple it with other exercises targeting your upper body to achieve your overall fitness goal.

How heavy should jump squats be?

According to anecdotal reports, the ideal load for jump squats is 20–30% of your best full back squat if you wish to maximize power production.

Why are jump squats so hard?

An effective jump squat needs good leg and ankle support. You need to be fluidly dynamic as your lower body muscles work overtime. It may be painful as your joints are stressed every time you land.

How many jump squats are too much?

It depends on your fitness level and your comfort with jump squats. It is recommended to gradually increase your reps, at most 25 reps of 5 sets.

Illustration: How To Do Jump Squats Properly? Benefits And Types

Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

Jump squats are an amazing way to get fit! Watch this video to find out what happens to your body if you do them every day!

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Dr. Sudhansu SinghBPT

   

Dr. Sudhansu Singh is a Physiotherapist, Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, and Neuro Physiotherapist with 8 years of experience. He is a member of the Federation of Indian Manual Therapists (FIMT) and an active member of the Delhi Council of Physiotherapy and FIMT Australia Association.

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Charushila BiswasHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Charushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and fitness equipment. She strives to inform, educate, and motivate her readers via authentic, straightforward, and fact-checked information.

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