Squat jump

Drop into a squat and jump straight up as hard as you can, developing explosive power in the quads, glutes and calves.

How to do it

1. 01Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out and arms relaxed at your sides.
2. 02Sit your hips back and drop quickly to somewhere between a half squat and parallel, swinging your arms back.
3. 03Drive hard through your whole foot and swing your arms up to jump straight up as high as you can.
4. 04Land softly on the balls of your feet, then your whole foot, bending your knees and hips to absorb the landing, knees tracking over your toes.
5. 05Get steady before the next jump; end the set when your height or landing quality drops.

Common mistakes

• Stiff-legged landings — land softly, bending your knees and hips as if sitting down.
• Knees caving in on landing — keep them tracking over your toes.
• Grinding out reps when tired — do fewer, high-quality jumps and rest fully between sets.

In the Jumps progression

1. 1Squat jump
2. 2Broad jump
3. 3Tuck jump

Standard to move on: 3 sets × 8, two sessions in a row.