The jumping squat is my all time favorite exercise for toning the leg and butt muscles. It has been used by footballers, soccer players, martial artists and sprinters for generations in order to build strength in the lower body. The good news is that it is also amazing for burning fat and toning your legs and butt. In this post I am going to show you how to do the perfect jumping squat.
What muscles does the jumping squat target?
The jumping squat targets more muscles than just about any other exercise. It is what is known as a compound exercise because it works more than one muscle group at a time. In particular it will hit:
- the hamstrings
- the glutes (your butt!)
- the calf muscles
- the thighs
- the hip flexors
When you do a jumping squat you are essentially doing a cardio workout and a strength workout all in one handy exercise. Your heart rate will be elevated to a point where you will feel like you have just run a sprint race and your legs will burn like you have just been doing the most difficult squats of your life. If you want to tone your legs and butt and lose that problem fat then this is an exercise you need to make a regular in your fitness plan.
How to do the jumping squat
The photos above show the starting position and then the landing position. You must swap your lead foot in the air.
The jumping squat is easy to do but it will take a lot out of you. Many women cannot do more than five or six on their first go. That is okay. As long as you do more each time you will be making progress. Try to do at least four or five sets with about a minute break in between each set.
- Starting position
Crouch down in a squat position with your left foot in front of your right foot and your hands touching the floor for balance. - The movement
Spring up in to the air as high as possible using your quadriceps and butt to make you jump. This is a very dynamic and powerful motion. - Whilst in the air
Whilst in the air change feet position so that you land with your right foot in front. - Landing and repeating
Crouch all the way back down to the ground and repeat as fast as possible with the other foot now in the lead. Don’t stop at the bottom but keep going as fast as you can.
And that’s it! As I said, the technique is easy but exercise is not. You will get a burn in your legs like you have never had before.
I do this exercise at the start of every workout. It takes a lot out of me but I truly believe it is one of the best ways to burn fat and tone your leg muscles.
