Barbell Jump Squat
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Barbell
HOW TO PERFORM
- Set a light bar on your back as you would for a back squat, with the feet about shoulder width.
- Dip to roughly a quarter squat, keeping the torso angle you would hold in a normal squat.
- Drive up and leave the floor, keeping the bar tight to your back rather than letting it bounce on the traps.
- Land on the whole foot with soft knees, stand all the way up, and reset before the next rep.
FORM TIPS
- Much lighter than your squat. This is trained for bar speed, and heavy loads make the landing the hardest part of the lift, which is not what you want.
- Stop the set when the jump height drops off. A slow rep is a different exercise.
- If the bar slams your back on landing, the load is too high or the landing is too stiff. A trap bar or dumbbell version is kinder to the spine.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Quads
- Glutes
- Calves
Secondary
- Hamstrings
- Adductors
- Abs
- Lower Back
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.