Training for the Warrior Athlete
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Tuck Jumps

Explosive power.

The Tuck Jump is a foundational movement for mastering box jumps and Olympic lifts due to the quick powerful push and pull of the legs. It is one of the most metabolically challenging explosive bodyweight exercises that can be done alone or combined with any number of other movements to develop explosive power.

tuck jumps

Starting Position

The tuck jump starts in the standing position with arms directly in front of the body.

tuck jump

Squat Down

With arms out and weight on the heels, descend into a full squat.

tuck jumpExplode Up

From the bottom of the squat, immediately explode up to jump as high as you can.

Pull the Knees

As you continue to rise, quickly pull the knees up to the chest.

High Tuck

At the top of your jump, your knees will be in the high tuck position, where the thighs are in direct contact with the torso. This is a requirement for a proper tuck jump.


On the way down, release the pull to extend the legs. Make soft contact with ground as you descend into the squat again for another explosive movement.

Note: The tuck jump is an extremely dynamic and powerful movement that should be part of a workout, only after a good warm up.

Scaling

Make it Easier:

  • Start with squat jumps – without the tuck
  • Do a few reps at a time to allow muscles to recover

Make it Harder:

  • Perform the movement as part of a burpee (the tuck jump burpee)
  • Wear a weight vest
  • Jump higher
  • Do all the reps in one set

All Techniques

Box Jumps – Burpees – Front Squats – Jumping Pull Ups
Kettlebell Swings – Pull Ups – Push Ups – Running Technique
Sit Ups – Squats – Sumo Deadlift
Sumo Deadlift High Pull – Thrusters – Tuck Jumps