Barbell jump squats

Barbell jump squats – this exercise is not for beginners. As effective as it is, it is equally difficult and, therefore, dangerous. It is effective primarily for developing explosive strength in the muscles of the legs and glutes, which is why it is often used in both heavy and light athletics. In general, it is also used in all exercises that require explosive leg strength.

For enthusiasts, there is no need to do this exercise, but if you want to, it's better to do it at the end of your leg workout. And it's better to jump out of a full squat. That means you begin by squatting fully and then immediately accelerating the barbell upward from the deepest squat. The goal is to jump as high as possible. Accordingly, to achieve this, you need to maximize your speed.

Nuances and mistakes

1. NEVER land on straight legs! Otherwise, you are guaranteed back and knee problems. Always absorb the landing with your legs. That means as you start to land, you immediately bend your legs at the knees and transition into the next squat. In other words, there should be no pause. Everything must be done dynamically. However, this requires a certain level of skill.

2. If you are not a professional athlete, choose a weight that allows you to perform 6–10 jumps. At the same time, the last repetitions should be challenging. As a rule, this is about 50% of the weight you can squat for a single repetition.

3. The squatting and standing-up technique should be exactly the same as in regular squats.

4. Try to jump strictly upward. Avoid hopping around the entire gym, and strive to land in the same spot every time.