Looking for a firm butt and thighs? The squat jump makes it possible! Today we show you how you can do this exercise in the living room and what you need to pay attention to when doing squat jumps.
If you don't have any equipment for working out, don't worry. You can get fit in your living room without any equipment. All you need today are sports shoes, and then you can start working out.
You can do the squat jump even if you have little space in your living room. However, you should make sure that you do not disturb your neighbors. Especially the neighbors below you could hear quite a bit of your workout if you have a thin ceiling.
But you don't have to give up squat jumps, because you can do them outdoors. Any terrace or park is suitable. Since you don't need any equipment anyway, you're always ready for a workout.
Squat jumps improve your explosive jumping power and improve the mobility of one leg.
So, if you're still looking for an effective exercise for your legs and butt, the standing squat jump is the one for you.
How to perform the squat jump correctly
Before you think about it, you should first make sure that you don't have any knee or hip problems. If that is the case, then we strongly advise against squat jumps.
This exercise also puts a lot of stress on the joints in the foot. If you have problems of this kind, then you should do quiet exercises where you do not have to jump.
You're fit and ready to go? Then all you have to do now is warm up your legs. Important: Never do this exercise without a warm-up program!
The jumping jack is just as good for this as swinging and circling your legs and feet.
Squat jumps without warming up quickly lead to injuries in the knees, ankles and hip.
But I don't want to scare you off :). The squat jump is a very effective exercise for legs and butt, which you should put on your training plan.
- Equipment needed: no
- Difficulty: medium
- Suitable for beginners: no
- Trains: Strength, endurance, quickness
- Muscle groups used: Thighs and buttocks
Squat jump execution for beginners
- Start in a hip-width stance.
- Tighten the abdominal muscles.
- Bend knees and transition to squat until pelvis is at knee level.
- Extend the buttocks backwards and bring the weight onto the heels.
- Now push yourself off the ground explosively.
- The arms give momentum.
- While jumping, raise your knees and pull them to your chest.
- Land with legs slightly bent on both feet. The legs are parallel and shoulder width apart.
- Go directly into the squat and start over.
Squat jump execution for advanced
If that's not intense enough for you, you can make squat jumps more difficult. You need weight cuffs for this.
Nothing else changes in the execution of the exercise. Small tip: Start with light cuffs, even 0.5 kg per leg makes squat jumps much more strenuous. You will feel the difference enormously when pulling up the legs.
I strongly advise you not to use weights such as kettlebells, dumbbells and the like. This increases the risk of injury many times over.
If you want to specifically strengthen your quickness, you can briefly and quickly grab the bent legs during the jump.
These exercises will improve your bounce!
What you need to pay attention to during execution
The squat jump is not an exercise for total beginners. Having some strength in your legs is crucial to staying injury free. Untrained ankles have a tendency to roll over when loading, which can end up being very painful.
The frequency
Beginners should always start by doing few repetitions and do them cleanly. If you jump too fast, your knees and ankles may not cooperate. The risk of injury increases.
So: better slow and accurate than too many jumps in too short a time.
As an advanced user, you can set the frequency of the jumps very high, which will make the exercise even more effective.
The head
That's honestly what happened to me in the beginning. When I jumped, I always stuck my head way up. Probably out of fear to get the knees against not the chin. But that's complete nonsense, it's pretty much impossible.
I noticed that at the latest when I made a video of 2 to 3 repetitions. I strongly advise you to do this. Without the video, I wouldn't have noticed that my head was overstretched. The exercise is so explosive and fast that you don't have time to notice it.
In short, always keep your head in place and do not stretch your neck through or to the side. All this only encourages you to get a tension.
Take the 30 day leg challenge!
The back
During the entire exercise your back is upright. Do not bend forward while jumping - you will form a hollow back.
You can prevent this by tightening your stomach and pushing your shoulders back.
The hip and knees
Pay attention to your posture. The pelvis is in a neutral position, so you avoid bending the hips. The squat jump is done from the strength of your legs and buttocks.
Your knees point in the same direction as your toes throughout the entire exercise. Make sure they don't tilt inward or too much to the side - that's not a squat!
The arms
Where to put your arms during the squat jump? That's entirely up to you. You can rest them on your thighs during the jump, clasp your legs or keep them bent. Just try out what you find easier.
Do you already know these 17 exercises for leg training?
What muscles the squat jump trains
Legs and buttocks so much we already had. But if you want to know more, you're in the right place. Muscles that are used during the squat jump:
- Quadriceps
- Leg biceps
- Gluteal muscles
Auxiliary muscles
- Back Stretcher
- straight abdominal muscle
- lateral abdominal muscle
- Abductors
- Adductors
- Calf muscles
If you put a weight cuff around your legs, the muscles naturally have even more to do. However, the muscle groups used remain the same.
Our conclusion
The squat jump is a very effective exercise to strengthen your legs and butt while improving your bounce. You also work on strengthening your ankles and increasing endurance during the execution. All in all, a great all-rounder for the entire body.
Have fun with the training!
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