Rocket Jump — start position
Start
Rocket Jump — end position
End

Legs / Beginner / Compound (multi-joint)

Rocket Jump

An explosive bodyweight exercise for the quads, with the calves and hamstrings assisting.

At a glance

Primary
Quads
Secondary
Calves, Hamstrings
Equipment
Bodyweight
Movement pattern
Jump / plyometric
Level
Beginner
Type
Legs, Compound (multi-joint), Explosive

Loads the knee. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

  1. Begin in a relaxed stance with your feet shoulder width apart and hold your arms close to the body.
  2. To initiate the move, squat down halfway and explode back up as high as possible.
  3. Fully extend your entire body, reaching overhead as far as possible. As you land, absorb your impact through the legs.

Common mistakes

  • ✗ Stiff, heavy landings.

    Why it hurts: The impact goes into the knees, shins and Achilles tendons.

    ✓ Instead: Land quietly on the balls of the feet and let the knees bend.

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Muscles worked

Neck (Front)Upper traps (Front)Front delts (Front)Side delts (Front)Chest (Front)Serratus anterior (Front)Biceps (Front)Forearms & grip (Front)Abs (Front)Obliques (Front)Hip flexors (Front)Quads — primary (Front)Adductors (Front)Shins (tibialis) (Front)Calves — secondary (Front)Outer shins (peroneals) (Front)Feet (arch & toes) (Front)Neck (Back)Upper traps (Back)Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps) (Back)Rear delts (Back)Side delts (Back)Rotator cuff (Back)Lats (Back)Lower back (erectors) (Back)Triceps (Back)Forearms & grip (Back)Hip abductors (glute med) (Back)Glutes (Back)Hamstrings — secondary (Back)Adductors (Back)Calves — secondary (Back)
FrontBack
  • Primary: Quads
  • Secondary: Calves, Hamstrings

Best for

How specific this exercise is to each movement.

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Photos and instructions: free-exercise-db (github.com/yuhonas/free-exercise-db), public domain.