Quads exercise
Dumbbell Jump SquatHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Calves
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Jump Squat?
- Stand with your feet wide, toes turned out, holding one dumbbell upright between your legs with both hands.
- Dip quickly into a half squat, knees out over your toes, chest up.
- Drive up hard and jump, keeping your arms long.
- Land softly on the balls of your feet and bend your knees to absorb it.
- Stand tall, reset and repeat.
Cues
- Arms long, let the legs do the work.
- Knees out, jump tall.
- Land quiet.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the dumbbell up with the arms.
- Landing with straight legs.
- Letting the knees cave in.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
A loaded squat jump with one dumbbell held upright between the legs (both hands round the handle under the top head), from a wide stance with the toes turned out.
Starting position
Feet about 1.5 × shoulder width, toes turned out about 30°. Hold one dumbbell upright between the legs with both hands under its top head, arms long, shoulders set. Stand tall.
The movement
Dip quickly into a half squat, knees out over the toes and chest up, then drive hips, knees and ankles straight together and jump; the toes leave the floor last and the dumbbell hangs between the legs. Land in the same spot on the balls of the feet, let the heels settle and bend the knees over the toes to soak up the landing, then stand tall and reset.
Breathing
Breathe in and brace before the dip, hold through the jump, breathe out after the landing.
Tempo
Stand 0.3 s, dip 0.6 s, drive 0.25 s, about 0.4 s in the air, 0.4 s landing, 0.65 s to stand tall.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stance | 1.4–1.5 × shoulder width, toes out 30° | 1.3–1.7 ×, 20–40° | |
| Knee flexion at the bottom of the dip | 86° | 80–100° (a half squat) | |
| Trunk from vertical in the dip | 20° | 10–30° | |
| Knee direction vs toe direction in the dip | within 4° | within 10° | |
| Hip rise above standing (toes pointed plus flight) | 18–22 cm | 15–25 cm | |
| Time in the air | 0.4 s | 0.3–0.5 s | |
| Knee flexion on landing | 75° | 60–90° | |
| Arms | long (elbows about 15°) | never bent to lift the bell | |
| Dumbbell | 27–30 cm above the floor at its lowest | never touches the floor or the legs |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Dumbbell Jump Squat is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 18 (plyometrics)
- ACE Exercise Library, "Jump Squat" (land softly on the balls of the feet, knees over the toes)
