Tuck Jump
Reactive power + fast feet
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Stand with the feet hip width on a surface with some give, arms bent at the sides with the hands at about waist height.
The rep
Jump straight up and drive the knees up towards the hands at the top, keeping the chest tall. Extend the legs again before you land, touch down softly on the balls of the feet, and spring straight into the next jump with as little time on the floor as you can manage. Six good reps beat ten scrappy ones.
On the exercise card
- Drive knees up
- Minimal ground time
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Folding the chest down to meet the knees | The knees come up to the hands. The chest stays tall. |
| Long, heavy ground contacts | Stay on the balls of the feet and rebound quickly. If you start to sink into each landing, stop the set. |
| The knees caving on landing | Land with the knees over the toes. Fatigue shows here first, so end the set when it does. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Jumps that bring the knees only to waist height, with a reset between each, or pogo hops.
- Harder
- Higher knees and shorter contacts, holding the same quality for every rep of the set.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
It trains reactive power and fast feet: a quick rebound off the floor, over and over. The bodyweight program puts it in the athletic power session, alongside sprints and bounds, at four sets of six.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight Athlete | Athletic Power + Core | 4 × 6 | BW |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Lower body
- Classified as
- Plyometric
- Prescribed in
- bodyweight training
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Box Jump | Vertical power, soft landing |
| Broad Jump | Horizontal explosive power — sprint acceleration carryover |
| Standing Vertical Jump | Pure vertical power test — basketball, volleyball, AFL |
| Approach Vertical Jump | 3-step approach into jump — volleyball, basketball rebound |
| Seated Box Jump | Concentric-only — pure starting strength for sprinters |
| Pogo Hops | Stiff, reactive ankle power |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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